Relatives in UZ Polls: AL chief’s directive for MPs largely unheeded
Awami League lawmakers' urge to tighten their grip on the grassroots seems to be prevailing over the party president's directive to have their family members and close relatives withdraw from the upazila parishad polls.
With today being the last day for withdrawing candidature in the first phase of the polls, only one relative of a state minister quit the race.
Many candidates related to MPs are hellbent on running. They are ignoring not only the AL chief's directive but also threats of punitive organisational actions.
"If any close relative of any minister and MP don't comply with the party directive, we will be compelled to take organisational actions against them," AL presidium member Kazi Zafarullah told The Daily Star.
The AL directed the lawmakers and ministers to make sure none of their family members or relatives run in the upazila polls, which are to be held in four phases with the first one being on May 8.
Lutful Habib, the brother-in-law of State Minister for Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak, withdrew yesterday from the race for Singra upazila parishad chairman.
For other relatives and family members of MPs and ministers, repeated phone calls are being made by AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader and organising secretaries.
The warnings of organisational action seem to have little effect. Some of the relatives of MPs vowed to stay in the race while others said they believed the party would go soft on them once the race ended.
"Eighth May! We were there, we still are, and we will be there," read a Facebook post of Shabab Chowdhury two days after Quader called his father Ekramul Karim Chowdhury, AL lawmaker for Noakhali-4, to make sure Shabab quit the race for Subarnachar upazila chairman.
If any close relatives of any minister and MP don't comply with the party directive, we will be compelled to take organisational actions against them.
Some aspirants in question said the party directive came way too late as they had already invested quite a lot in the race.
Asibur Rahman Khan, son of AL presidium member and Madaripur-2 MP Shahjahan Khan, is running for Madaripur Sadar upazila chairman.
He told The Daily Star that there was no turning back now.
"It would have been easier for us to decide had the party told us this before the declaration of the polls schedule. I feel like the party has made a hasty decision and it might not be enforced in the first phase."
AL lawmaker Mohammad Ali of Noakhali-6 has fielded his wife and son for the chairman post of Hatia upazila, which goes to polls in the first phase.
Ali told The Daily Star that he received the party directive but he was observing the situation.
"Time will tell what to do," he added.
Bogura-1 AL MP Sahadara Mannan's younger brother Minhaduzzaman Liton, also Sonatala upazila AL president, is in the race for Sonatala chairman. He is also the incumbent.
Sahadara's son Sakhawat Hossain Sajal is running for the post of Sariakandi upazila chairman.
Bogra-1 comprises these two upazilas.
Eleven union parishad chairmen from Sariakandi wrote to Hasina asking her to intervene and get Sajal off the ballot.
Minhaduzzaman claimed that the fact that he is the brother of Sahadara should not matter as he is the incumbent and known as the upazila AL president.
He said he would not quit the race.
Imtiaz Ahmed Bulbul, brother of Agriculture Minister Abdus Shahid of Maulvibazar-4, is running for Kamalganj upazila chairman. He has not been campaigning after the party issued the directive. He has not withdrawn his candidature either. Bulbul does not hold any posts in AL.
The grassroots is also confused as to who could be considered a close relative.
While talking to top leaders, the AL chief mentioned father, mother, brother, sister, sister-in-law, son, son-in-law, daughter and daughter-in-law as close relatives, said sources.
They claimed that the directive did not apply to incumbents but many grassroots leaders were unaware of this.
Recently, Quader has asked AL organising secretaries to make a list of close relatives of ministers and AL MPs running in the upazila polls.
Asked about the list, AL Organising Secretary Afzal Hossain said they were making the list and talking to MPs to ensure their close relatives quit the race.
The Daily Star has so far found relatives or family members of around 30 ministers and MPs vying for upazila chairman posts across the four phases of the polls. At least 15 of the races are in the first phase.
State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Rumana Ali's elder brother Jamil Hasan Durjoy is vying for Sreepur upazila chairman while Noor-e-Alam, younger brother of Pirojpur-1 MP and former minister Rezaul Karim, is running for Nazirpur upazila chairman.
AL central committee member and Hasina's cousin Abul Hasanat Abdullah, Barisal-1 MP, named his son Ashiq Abdullah as a candidate for Agailjhara upazila chairman.
Former finance minister and Cumilla-10 MP AHM Mustafa Kamal's younger brother Golam Sarwar said he would be running in Cumilla Sadar (south) upazila. Sarwar is the incumbent there.
AL Joint General Secretary and Kushtia-3 MP Mahabubul Alam Hanif's cousin Ataur Rahman Ata, also Kushtia city AL general secretary, is running for the sadar upazila chairman post.
Manikganj sadar upazila chairman aspirant Israfil Hossain is the cousin of former health minister and Manikganj-3 MP Zahid Malek Swapan.
Shariful Haque, a brother-in-law of Anwarul Ashraf Khan Dilip, the AL MP for Narsingdi-2, is running for Palash upazila chairman.
A cousin and a nephew of Nilphamari-1 AL MP Aftab Uddin Sarkar are running for the Dimla upazila chairman post.
Pabna-1 MP and deputy speaker Shamsul Haque Tuku's younger brother Abdul Baten is vying for the post of Bera upazila chairman, while Golam Hasnain Russell, eldest son of Pabna-3 AL MP Maqbul Hossain, aspires to be Bhangura upazila chairman.
Chuadanga-2 MP Ali Azgar Tagar's younger brother Ali Monsur Babu is running for Damurhuda upazila chairman post that goes to polls in the first phase.
Dinajpur-5 MP Mostafizur Rahman Fizer's younger brother Mushfikur Rahman Babul is an aspirant of Phulbari upazila chairman post.
A cousin of Cox's Bazar-2 MP Ashek Ullah Rafiq and nephews of Liberation War Affairs Minister and Gazipur-1 MP AKM Mozammel Haque, Chuadanga-1 MP Solaiman Haque Joardar, and Maulvibazar-1 MP Shahab Uddin are in the race.