C T Online Desk: The 22nd national council of Awami League will be held today with a pledge to build “Smart Bangladesh” by 2041.
The main theme of this year’s council is “Unnoyon Abhijatrai Deshratna Sheikh Hasinar Netritte Bangabandhur Swapner Unnoto, Samridho O Smart Bangladesh Gorar Protoye”.
Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the council by releasing pigeons at 10:30am at the historic Suhrawardy Udyan.
After hoisting of the national and party flags, central leaders will take seats at the stage. Then a 30-minute cultural event will be held.
The party’s office secretary Barrister Biplab Barua will present the death references.
Obaidul Quader will present the report of general secretary.
AL presidium member and reception committee convener Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim will deliver the welcome address.
The first session of the council will end with the speech of Hasina. Around 7,000 councillors and over one lakh leaders and workers from across the country will join the national council.
There will be a break for lunch and prayers after the end of the inaugural session.
Then the council session will be held in the auditorium of Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB). The party’s president and general secretary will be elected in the session.
A three-member election commission has already been formed to elect the leadership.
A total of 11 sub-committees are working for the council. As per tradition, party president Hasina is chairperson of the council preparatory committee and general secretary Quader is its member secretary.
After visiting the council venue at Suhrawardy Udyan on Thursday, Quader said the council will be held in a simple manner as part of austerity measures, but a huge number of leaders and activists will join it.
AL organising secretary and stage and decoration affairs sub-committee member secretary Mirza Azam said the stage of the council is being made in the shape of a boat along with Padma Bridge. It will be 80 feet long and 44 feet wide. The height of the main stage will be 7 feet.
A separate stage will be arranged for cultural event. Chairs will be set at the stage in four rows. The party president and general secretary will sit in the front row followed by advisory council members, senior leaders and presidium members in the second one and other central leaders will seat in the rest of the two layers.
Besides, LED monitors will be set up at the council venue.
As part of maintaining austerity due to the global economic crisis, the council is being arranged in a simple manner. So, invitations were not extended to foreign guests. But central 14-party, Jatiya Party, BNP and all other registered political parties will be invited.
Previous councils were held in two days, but this time, the council go on for one day to minimise costs.
The 21st council of the party was held on December 20-21. The budget of the last council was Tk 3.43 crore. The national committee of the party has approved Tk 3.13 crore for this 22nd council.
