Barguna District BNP meeting decision demands withdrawal of nomination from Barguna-1 Seat
Amtali (Barguna) Correspondent
Ahead of the 13th National Parliament election, there has been a huge debate in the party arena over the nomination of BNP's candidate for Barguna-1 (Barguna Sadar-Amtali-Taltali) constituency. Trinamool leaders and activists are furious after the party decided to declare district BNP convener Md. Nazrul Islam Molla as the candidate.
Six candidates seeking nomination have submitted a written complaint to BNP's acting chairman Tarique Rahman and secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, including central leaders, demanding that Nazrul Islam Mollah's nomination be changed. The complaint has already gone viral on social media, which has drawn negative reactions from leaders and activists.
It is reported that, as per the decision of the party's standing committee meeting, Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced Nazrul Islam Molla as the candidate for Barguna-1 constituency on November 3. Since then, the party division and anger have been increasing.
The six leaders who filed the complaint include:
BNP executive committee member and former MP Md. Matiar Rahman Talukder, Barguna district BNP's first joint convener Md. Fazlul Haque Master, Nationalist Lawyers Forum Joint Secretary General Advocate Gazi Touhidul Islam, former district BNP organizing secretary Advocate Md. Rezbul Kabir, former district BNP member Omar Abdullah Shahin and Nationalist Women's Party's self-help affairs co-editor Asma Aziz.
In the charge sheet, they mentioned that Nazrul Islam Mollah and his family have turned the Barguna district BNP into a 'family system'. 8 members of their family are currently holding important positions in the central and district BNP. Fazlul Haque Master claimed that this has created widespread dissatisfaction among the grassroots leaders and activists.
He said that MPs will be elected by the people's votes. Therefore, the candidates should be reconsidered taking into account the people's mandate and the opinions of the grassroots.
Asma Aziz, central co-editor of the Nationalist Women's Party, said, "I have stood by the party despite enduring torture and oppression for the past 16 years. It is the demand of the hour to nominate a popular and selfless leader."
Omar Abdullah Shaheen, a former member of Barguna district BNP and former APS of late Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain, said that Nazrul Islam Mollah took the nomination by giving wrong information to the party's top leadership. The wishes of the grassroots should be given priority.
Former MP Matiar Rahman Talukder said, "I won the by-election in 2001 after losing by a small margin. Later, I was elected as a member of parliament twice. Nominations should be made after an investigation based on the opinion of the Trinamool."
In this regard, district BNP convener and nominated candidate Md. Nazrul Islam Molla said, "The party high command nominated me. Those who made the complaint have lost their deposit in the elections more than once. Making complaints by disobeying the high command's decision is against party discipline."
He also said that they can join another party if they wish. The decision of the party leadership is final.
