The two-day national council of the ruling Awami League begins here tomorrow-

Prime Minister and AL president Sheikh Hasina will open the council at the Outer Stadium at 3 pm. About 5.000 councilors and delegates are expected to attend the council, according to party sources.

The triennial council was shifted four times earlier. The last council of AL was held in September. 1992.

Party general secretary Zil-lur Rahman will present his report to the council after the inauguration. The draft report was approved by the 65-member AL Central Working Committee IAlCWC). the highest policymaking body of thfe party, on Thursday last. The ALCWC met

again last night to discuss some amendments to the party's constitution.

Chairman of the party's subcommittee on amendments Abdul Mannan, told The Daily Star yesterday, "No major changes are proposed. Just a few minor changes to make the party more work-friendly."

With some 2,500 party councillors preparing to elect a new ALCWC at the session, the focus is on election of a new general secretary of the party. There is widespread speculation that a new general secretary might be chosen from non-mlnister party leaders. Some senior AI. leaders told this corresppndent that Sheikh Hasina was not willing to over-burden any of her cabinet colleagues with the

post of party general secretary.

Names of two AL presidium members, Amir Hussain Amu and Dr Mohammad Selim MP and joint secretary Abdul Jalil are being heard for the post.

Amu and Jalil failed to get elected in the last parliamentary election. Selim now the byelection in one of the two Siraj-ganj seats vacated by his brother Mohammed Nasim.

A number of party leaders and workers, contacted by this correspondent, indicated that all the aspirants were trying to avoid a 'visible race' for the general secretary post. Talking to this correspondent Jalil said. The party chief, will make the final choice." Jie claimed that during the past 10 months, he

was always available In party offices in Dhaka for guiding organisational activities in the absence of 'minister-leaders.'

Amu, who played a vital role in holding councils of many district units over the past couple of months said. "I don't know anything about that ... What I know Is that I always do the jobs to be done, no matter in what capacity.''

Mohammad Selim, who played a vital role in managing AL's electioneering during the June 1996 polls, declined to say anything about the party coun-cll.

Awami League — which was founded on June 23. 1949 with Moulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani and Shamsul Haq as its founding president and general secretary respectively — had many ups and downs in its 49 years of existence. Except for a few months as partner of the Jukto Front government during the Pakistan period and a three-and-a-half year rule in post-liberation period in Bangladesh, the Awami league was always in the opposition, playing leading roles in democratic movements. It had led the country's -Liberation War.