Connection with MP Shahid: JP expels former Laxmipur-2 MP Noman

Jatiya Party today relieved the much-talked-about JP leader and a former MP from Laxmipur-2 Mohammad Noman, as he left the election field in the 2018 national election in support of independent MP Mohammad Shahid Islam (Papul), in exchange for a huge amount of money from the latter, who stands accused in Kuwait of multiple charges including human trafficking.

Several JP leaders said this while talking to The Daily Star after the party today relived Noman from the party.

Noman was also an adviser to the current party chairman, GM Quader.

He has been relieved from all the posts and titles including the primary post in the party, JP said in a statement.

Although no reason for the expulsion of the JP leader was mentioned in the release, several Jatiya Party leaders said Noman was relieved from the party as he became inactive during the 2018 parliamentary election in support of the independent MP Mohammad Shahid Islam Papul from Laxmipur-2, in exchange for money.

In the last national election, Awami League had left the Laxmipur-2 seat to its electoral ally JP, and the party had nominated Mohammad Noman.

Noman was elected as MP in the 2014 parliamentary election.

According to the JP release, Noman was expelled from the party as per Article 20/1 (1) of the party's charter, where it said that party chairman will be able to take any decision including expelling or incorporating someone in the party on his own decision.

A presidium member of the party said that a top leader of JP -- who is now in a vital post of the party -- was also involved in the process to make Noman inactive in support of Mohammad Shahid during the election.

Before the 2018 election, Noman was inactive in the electoral activities and he was not seen in his constituency during the election.

Few days before the 2018 election, late JP chairman HM Ershad at one stage of negotiation on seat sharing with Awami League, removed then secretary general of JP, Ruhul Amin Hawlader, who then nominated Noman as JP candidate from Laxmipur-2, and appointed Moshiur Rahman Ranga in the post.

A presidium member of JP said, Ranga, while gossiping with his party colleagues at the JP chairman's office at Dhaka's Banani area, had said that he was involved in neutralising the JP candidate in the election activities and extending support to Shahid.

Both Noman and Ranga were contacted to make comments on the issue, but their mobile phones were unreachable.

Laxmipur-2 MP Mohammad Shahid was accused in money laundering, human trafficking, visa trading and bribery, and sent to jail for 21 days in the central prison in Kuwait, said Arab Times on June 25.

Earlier, the Kuwaiti public prosecution had approached the Central Bank to freeze the bank accounts of Shahid and his company.

Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Kuwait had detained Shahid, as well as the managing director and CEO of his company there, on June 6.