Dhaka, Oct 29 (bdnews24.com) – Former finance minister M Saifur Rahman announced Monday he had been made acting chief of the BNP and Hafiz Uddin Ahmed had been appointed acting secretary general, in a major turn of events in the troubled party.

The announcement came from Saifur’s press briefing after a late-night meeting of senior BNP leaders at his Gulshan home.

In a written statement, Saifur said: “I have been made the acting chief of the party in the absence of the BNP chairperson because I am the most senior leader of the party.”

The decision taken at the BNP standing committee’s meeting will be sent to BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia for approval.

“The BNP’s standing committee has faith in the ideology of Shaheed Zia [former president and BNP founder Ziaur Rahman] and in the leadership of Khaleda Zia,” Saifur said.

“The BNP will fight a legal battle for the freedom of Khaleda Zia,” he said, of the former prime minister who has been detained in special jail since September 3.

The meeting also scrapped Khaleda’s decision on the expulsions of Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, Ashraf Hossain and Mofiqul Hasan Tripti from the party.

Khandaker Delwar Hossain was earlier installed by Khaleda as secretary general, replacing Mannan Bhuiyan.

Both remain members of the standing committee, according to the latest decision.

Delwar was relieved of all responsibilities as secretary general for “health reasons", according to the meeting decision, said Saifur.

Bhuiyan was the last to arrive at the meeting. Chowdhury Tanveer Ahmed Siddiqui, RA Gani, Khandaker Mahbubuddin Ahmed, Mahbubur Rahman and M Shamsul Islam were among the senior leaders who attended the meeting.

BNP’s acting office secretary Rizvi Ahmed opposed the new move, in an instant reaction.

“This decision is undemocratic and ill-motivated,” he told bdnews24.com.