BNP Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan along with a good number of top ranking party leaders on June 25 announced the reform proposal for the party and over 100 ex-lawmakers of the party supported Bhuiyan's move.

A highly placed source close to Khaleda Zia told The Daily Star yesterday that she is very angry with the reformist leaders, particularly Mannan Bhuiyan, as none even talked with her on the reform issue during the preparation of the draft and it was not shown to her before the announcement.

"She [Khaleda] was totally ignored ...she was not at all consulted during the entire process," the source said.

After his formal announcement of the reform proposal through a press conference, Mannan Bhuiyan sent a junior leader with a copy of the reform proposal to hand it over to Khaleda Zia, sources said.

The leader went to Jahangir Gate of Dhaka Cantonment at around 8:00pm on June 25, but the army authorities did not allow him to go inside the cantonment area although he informed the on-duty official about the purpose of his visit.

A senior BNP leader seeking anonymity yesterday told this correspondent that Khaleda Zia told a party leader by phone on June 25 not to send her the copy of the reform proposal until and unless Mannan Bhuiyan comes to meet her.

"The man who prepared the reform proposal should himself come up with the papers …I will not accept the copy from the hand of anyone except him [Mannan Bhuiyan]," the leader quoted Khaleda Zia as saying.

Since June 25, Bhuiyan asked several junior leaders to reach the copy to Khaleda Zia, but none agreed to carry it fearing 'chastisement' by the party chief, BNP insiders said.

Party sources said Bhuiyan is likely to meet Khaleda Zia after making some additions to the reform proposals that will also cover the post of secretary general so that he cannot be blamed for the reform proposal that is aimed at only excluding her.

Amid criticism in the rank and file of BNP as well as outside the party, Mannan Bhuiyan-led reformist group has made a move to bring reform concerning the post of secretary general.

In conformity with the proposal regarding the post of the chairperson, the new proposal will also spell out that the secretary general will be elected for three years and no one will be allowed to hold the post for more than two terms.

Emerging from a meeting, BNP Chairperson's Advisory Council member Maj Gen (retd) ZA Khan told the reporters yesterday that they had decided to hold the council session of the party for getting the reform proposals approved, but the date is yet to be finalised.

BNP has decided to take the opportunity announced by the government to allow holding council session for reforms, said Major (retd) Hafizuddin Ahmed, who also met Mannan Bhuiyan yesterday.

Holding the council will mean an end to dynastic politics in the party, he said.