Gonoforum finally suffered a split as a group of its leaders formed a 157-member new committee of the party on Friday through a council dropping its founder president Dr Kamal Hossain.

Party’s former general secretary Mostafa Mohsin Montu and its ex-executive President Subrata Chowdury were made president and general secretary respectively of the faction at its sixth national council held at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh.

Former party executive president Prof Abu Sayeed announced the names of the 157-member new committee of the faction after an organisational meeting at the council.

He said the new committee was formed based on the opinions of the councillors.

Neither Dr Kamal Hossain nor those who are loyal to him has been included in the committee of the faction.

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Of the 157-member committee, there are a seven-member executive body and a 20-member presidium.

The seven executive committee members are Mostafa Mohsin Montu, Prof Abu Sayeed, Subrata Chowdhury, Jaglul Haider Afrik, Mohsin Rashid, Mohiuddin Abdul Kader and Ayub Khan Farroque.

 A close associate of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Dr Kamal Hossain founded Gonoforum on August 29, 1993 deserting Awami League.

Dr Kamal has been there in the post of party president since its inception.

Conflicts within the party leaders began after its fifth council held on April 26, 2019, as many party leaders, including then general secretary Mostafa Mohsin Montu, were left out in the committee formed there.

On May 5, 2019, Dr Kamal made Dr Reza Kibria general secretary of Gonoforum, dropping Mostafa Mohsin Montu, widening conflicts among the party leaders.

Though Dr Reza was made party general secretary, a group of leaders did not cooperate with him from the very beginning. Party leaders Abu Sayeed and Subrata were initially on Reza Kibria’s side, but they later engaged in conflicts with him over various decisions.

Following the serious internal feud, Reza Kibria expelled some party leaders, including Montu, Dr Abu Sayeed and Subrata Chowdhury, while the expelled leaders ousted Reza Kibria and some others by holding an extended meeting on September 26 last year.

Finally, on December 19 last year, Gonoforum President Dr Kamal Hossain said there was no problem within Gonoforum as they got reunited removing the conflicts and misunderstandings among them.

Amid the internal conflict, Dr Reza Kibria resigned from Gonoforum and its post of general secretary on February 7 last.

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A few days later, Dr Kamal-led group and Montu-led one decided to hold the sixth national council of the party separately.

Finally, the Montu-led group held the council and formed a new committee excluding Dr Kamal Hossain, 28 years after he founded the party.

Dr Kamal-led faction was scheduled to hold the party’s national council on December 4, but it was postponed.

At a press conference on November 13, Dr Kamal said they may arrange the council at the end of January next.