BNP MP Mokbul quits as Beanibazar party chief

with the resignation of Mokbul Hossain MP from the post of president of Beanibazar thana BNP, party insiders said.

Mokbul resigned from the post after a meeting with his like-minded associates and supporters Friday night.

Many party men think that the resignation indicates his decision to fight the next parliamentary election as an independent candidate, as before.

However, he said, “I had to shoulder responsibility for a certain period in view of the internal feud in the party. Now, as the election is nearing and my work load increased, I decided to quit the position”.

But his followers in the party still expect that Mokbul would be in the polls race with party ticket.

On Thursday night, a pillar erected for laying foundation for reconstruction of Chandigaon Ghat-Pagrana Bazar road in Golapganj, scheduled to be opened by Mokbul, was razed to the ground by unidentified people.

It happened just four days after a JCD activist was killed in a BNP factional fight at Dhakadakshin Bazar in Golapganj upazila.

The ruling party lawmaker on the same day (Monday) faced a serious agitation by villagers and rival party men as he made some comments publicly against Privatisation Commission Chairman Enam Ahmed Chowdhury. At least 50 people were injured in clashes around the upazila health complex.

Party sources said, since Enam Ahmed Chowdhury is an advisor to BNP chairperson and aligned with BNP stalwart Saifur Rahman, he might be tipped for party nomination in Sylhet-6 constituency (Golapganj-Beanibazar upazila).

In that case, Mokbul will run as an independent candidate, they said. Mokbul was elected a lawmaker in 1986 and in 2001 from the area as an independent candidate. He joined BNP in 2003.

However, he had blessings of Saifur and other BNP leaders in 2001, when there was none in the seat from BNP or from the alliance led by it. But he lost the confidence of Saifur, party insiders claimed.

Enam Ahmed Chowdhury had been in Saifur Rahman's camp since rivalry in Sylhet BNP went public a few months ago.

Syed Mokbul Hossain alias Lechu Miah extended his support to ruling party lawmaker M Ilyas Ali in July last year when Ilyas openly took a position against Saifur Rahman.

After that, central BNP suspended Sylhet district BNP convening committee led by Ilyas in August last year.

Months ago, the committee was dissolved after the rivalry went public and the ruling party lawmakers became divided.

Since then, Mokbul Hossain and Shafi Ahmed Chowdhury MP had been with Ilyas Ali while Dilder Hossain Selim MP had been with the Saifur Rahman, lawmaker from Sylhet Sadar (Sylhet-1) constituency.