Make family members quit upazila polls
The ruling Awami League has instructed ministers and its lawmakers to make sure their family members and relatives pull out of the upazila parishad election.
The organising secretaries of the party, designated to look into AL activities in divisions, yesterday started informing ministers and MPs concerned about the AL decision, said sources.
They also warned of expulsion from the party and other strict organisational measures if any of them failed to comply with the directives.
Wishing anonymity, an organising secretary of the AL, said AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader issued the instructions quoting party President Sheikh Hasina and that they were only conveying the messages.
The sixth upazila parishad polls will be held in four phases. In the first phase, 150 upazilas go to polls on May 8.
Family members and relatives of AL MPs and ministers are running for at least 14 chairman posts in the first phase.
An AL insider said Hasina was irked hearing about incidents like Lutful Habib, general secretary of Singra upazila AL in Natore, abducting a rival candidate and Ekramul Karim Chowdhury, AL MP from Noakhali-4, threatening to halt development projects if his son was not elected chairman.
She called Quader and asked him to issue the directives.
According to AL sources, Quader held an informal meeting at the political office of the AL chief in Dhanmondi yesterday morning and asked the organising secretaries and office secretary to issue the instructions.
During the meeting, an organising secretary called MP Shajahan Khan of Madaripur and Ekramul of Noakhali and told them about the party's decision.
The sons of these two lawmakers are vying for UP chairman posts.
The Daily Star reached out to Ekramul for comments last night. He said, "When the party general secretary called me I told him that it would have been convenient for me to make a decision had they informed me of the decision before the submission or scrutiny of nominations. And secondly, the one who is running against my son campaigned for an anti-boat candidate in the last national election. If my son has to withdraw, then he [the other candidate] should also be punished."
"If it's the decision of the party high command, we will think about it before the withdrawal of nomination. Then we will see what happens," he added.
The party ministers and lawmakers were also instructed not to get involved in the polls in any shape or form.
AL high-ups think that the ministers and lawmakers are fielding their preferred candidates to establish their supremacy in the areas. They are also trying to use the local administration and police.
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