The AL Central Working Committee at its September 27 meeting will discuss the matter, party sources said.

It will also discuss the recent recruitment of student leaders of ruling BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami as upazila election officers which the main opposition termed a bid to politicise the Election Commission ahead of the next general elections.

"We have taken Mohammad Hanif's interview with a Bangla daily seriously and the party leaders may ask him for explanation...Hanif is trying to damage the party with his acts," said an AL leader on condition of anonymity.

On the recruitment of the upazila election officers, he said the central working committee meeting may take a hard line on the appointments and ask the government to cancel them.

Mohammad Hanif, also former Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) mayor, in an interview with a Bangla daily on September 22 suggested that the party high command should officially abandon its secularist principles.

He said it was time for the party to replace its secularist principles with the slogan of "freedom of religion and religious practices".

Hanif's statement came at a time when the AL is trying to form an electoral alliance with different secular democratic forces in the country against the Islamist alliance of BNP and Jamaat.

On such stance of a senior party leader who has been with the AL since 1960s, another AL leader said the party high command's signal for not giving nomination in the next parliamentary elections to both him and his son prompted Hanif to make such controversial statement.

The AL insiders said Hanif is also unhappy with the party high command for unofficially seizing his power as the party's Dhaka city unit president following conflicts with its General Secretary Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya.

Hanif's son Sayeed Khokon lost the last parliamentary elections in Dhaka-7 constituency to BNP leader and the present DCC Mayor Sadeq Hossain Khoka. This time, AL is considering to change its strategy for the seat as former president and Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh chief Badruddoza Chowdhury is going to contest in the next election from the constituency.

"If the Awami League forms any kind of election alliance with Bikalpa Dhara, it will extend support to the latter's candidate in the constituency by dropping its own candidate," an AL leader said.

"Besides, Hanif is also sceptic about getting party nomination in the next mayoral election," said the AL leader. "His proposal to party chief to contest from three seats in Dhaka in the next election also did not get any positive response," he added.

Meanwhile, talking to the reporters at his residence, Hanif yesterday said he will not join any other party if the AL expels him for the statement.

He said he will explain his position to the party forum and will take steps to motivate the party in favour of his opinion.