Sajeda shooshes 'insolent' Hasan Mahmud

Senior Awami League leader Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury has said Hasan Mahmud of her party is being ‘an insolent of mega proportions’.

The sound from his rally had ‘annoyed’ Sajeda severely when she was holding her own rally nearby for party chief Sheikh Hasina’s birthday on Sunday.

Sajeda was acting as chief of the ruling party in absence of Hasina who is attending the UN General Assembly in New York.

She was at a Swecchasebak League rally at Bangabandhu Memorial Museum in Dhanmondi when Mahmud was speaking to activists of Motorchalak League in a tent set up on the east side of the road.

Visibly irritated, Sajeda began her speech as Mahmud’s loudspeakers hit her ears leading her to finally speak her mind.

“These comments… defiance are Jamaat (-e-Islami) attributes. This is the first time I’m seeing new leaders who speak like rivals. This is the greatest insolence in the history of time."

“Now you’re making a lot of noise… whatever… I don’t want to say anything,” she said as Hassan’s voice filled the background.

“Today is Sheikh Hasina’s birthday and he is screaming from the opposite side. He sounds like he is challenging our Awami League boys who are holding their meeting.

“I’ve never seen this before and I hope I’ll never see it again. They use Bangabandhu’s name for their own campaign,” said the Faridpur-2 MP.

The leaders next to her said, “It is our Hasan. Hasan from Environment.”

She then said in the microphone: “I am Sajeda Chowdhury, this group was nowhere after Bangabandhu was killed. All of the leaders disappeared. I will advice Hassan Mahmud to be patient, I’ll finish soon. I will never tolerate this insolence.”

Sajeda also warned the former environment minister to never hold a counter rally on Road 32.

A voice was soon heard saying: “I’m stopping now. I didn’t understand.”

Sajeda was not pleased. “What did you stop? No, no. What stopped? There is still noise!”

Sajeda, Deputy Leader of the House, then started talking about Hasan Mahmud’s political career.

“Who was he? When did he come here? I know everything. Now he wants to fight me – I also know history. When Bangabandhu’s family was killed the bodies just lay there. No one came… those who raise their voices today, how old were they then?”

The leaders next to her were heard saying to her that Mahmud had stopped speaking.

Only some shards of his speech could be mildly heard as Sajeda roared on, calling it ‘insolence of the highest degree.’

‘Aunt Sajeda’

Hasan Mahmud told bdnews24.com neither he nor his organisers knew that Sajeda Chowdhury was at the Swecchasebak rally.

Local MP Fazle Noor Tapash was also present with him in the rally held by the Motorchalak League.

Mahmud said he told the organisers he will speak only after Joint General Secretary Mahbub-Ul Alam Hanif finished his rally at the other tent.

“I began speaking after Hanif Bhai. Our voice could be heard there, and theirs was being heard here too. I turned off the microphone two to three minutes after I heard Sajeda Fufu (aunt).”

He said he only spoke after her speech was over.

“Fufu probably said something, I couldn’t hear it then. I’ve found out now. The organisers had no idea Sajeda Fufu was there. There was no way for me to know. She probably didn’t know that we were aware of her presence.”

Hasan Mahmud was first elected to Parliament from Chittagong-7 in 2008. He was made state minister for foreign affairs, removed from there and then made junior environment minister. He then became full minister.

He is representing the same seat but has not been given charge of any ministry.