8 party aspirants stand against former BNP MP
BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia at a public meeting recently held at Kasba T Ali College ground announced that Md. Musfiqur Rahman would contest in the coming election from Brahmanbaria-4 constituency as 4-party alliance candidate.
Eight BNP leaders from the area submitted nomination papers to the party on December 6 and faced interview by its high command. Md. Musfiqur Rahman also submitted nomination paper and faced interview on the same day.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. The other aspirants are former BNP MP Mia Abdullah Wazed, Brahmanbaria BNP vice-president advocate Safiqul Islam, district Krishak Dal president M A Taher, central Sechchasebak Dal member Mamunur Rashid Mohan, Shakil Wahed Sujan, Kasba municipal administrator Rafiqul Haque, former municipal administrator Md. Ilias and Md. Nasir Uddin.
This correspondent talked to some of the eight aspirants. Seeking anonymity, they said they told the interviewers that they wanted any candidate but Musfiqur Rahman.
Musfiqur Rahman is also facing opposition from a large number of leaders and workers of BNP and its fronts in the area, they claimed.
Akhaura upazila BNP secretary MA Hasan Khan along with a large group of workers is opposing Musfiqur Rahman's nomination in the coming election allegedly because his men misappropriated a huge amount of money from funds of development projects in the area, they claimed.
Musfiqur Rahman no more enjoys support of a large section of party men in the two upazilas, they claimed.
"He acted like a cabinet secretary, his previous post in the government", a BNP leader said. A section of Akhaura upazila BNP held a protest meeting recently against Musfiqur Rahman with Akhaura BNP secretary MA Hasan Khan in chair.
After the protest meeting, Musfiqur Rahman urged the party high command to take action against Hasan Khan, the unit's joint secretary Dr. Khurshed Alam and some other BNP workers for breaking party rules, the BNP leaders said.
The central committee recently suspended Hasan Khan and Dr. Khurshed Alam from the party, which fuelled the conflict with Musfiqur Rahman, they said.
The suspended leaders started campaigning against him in the area.
On November 10, another former BNP lawmaker --Mia Abdullah Wazed of Kasba--called a public meeting at Kuti in Kasba upazila, which was attended by most of the party men opposed to Mushfiqur Rahman.
They rally demanded party ticket for Mia Abdullah Wazed, an industrialist. Talking to this correspondent, Mia Abdullah Wazed said he gave up the claim for nomination in favour of Mushfiqur Rahman in 2001 election. He will contest as an independent candidate if he does not get ticket in the coming election, he said.
Mushfiqur Rahman got 81229 votes in 2001 election while his nearest rival Awami League candidate Shah Alam got 60340 votes. Alam has started a vigorous campaign.
If BNP fails to mend the intra-party conflict, AL may have a fair chance in the coming polls, political analysts said.
While contacted over telephone, Mushfiqur Rahman claimed that he would get nomination because the eight others do not have any contribution to the party in the district.
About the allegations he said, "As far as I know, I and my aides did not do any malpractice during my tenure. I have done a lot of development works in all areas of the constituency. There may be difference of opinion as BNP is a big party and there are so many leaders in my area. It is not possible to satisfy all at a time".
About expulsion of two BNP leaders, he said he did not write any letter to the party high command to expel MA Hasan Khan and Dr. Khurshed Alam. He only expressed his opinion when he was asked about them. Akhaura upazila BNP committee sent a recommendation to the party authorities to expel them as they broke party rules, he claimed.