Supporters of axed aspirants attack BNP offices in Dhaka’s Gulshan

Supporters of three BNP leaders have attacked the party chief Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan offices in Dhaka in protest at the axing of the candidates from the final list of nominees.

The three leaders are former state minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milan, Khaleda’s Adviser Taimur Alam Khandaker, and Assistant Organising Secretary Salimuzzaman Salim.

Milan wanted to contest for Chandpur-1 constituency with the party’s paddy sheaf logo, Taimur for Narayanganj-1 and Salim for Gopalganj-1. 

The party on Friday released the list confirming 206 candidates, but dropped many.

Thousands of their angry supporters gathered outside their jailed chief’s offices in the capital on Saturday afternoon.

The demonstrators pelted brickbats at the offices, confining Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, and many senior leaders, including Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain and Nazrul Islam, inside.

bdnews24.com Senior Correspondent Sumon Mahmud was also stuck inside the offices when he went to gather news of nominations as the party was set to announce the names of candidates from its allies on Saturday.

The agitators tried to break down the main gate and windowpanes were broken by stones they pelted, he said. 

Earlier in the day, Milan’s followers demonstrated at the party’s Naya Paltan headquarters.

They also met Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi there to express their ire.

One of them, Anisul Haque, told reporters that the party nominated Mosharraf Hossain, who is involved in manpower business, but” has no popularity” in Chandpur-1 (Kachua).

“We haven’t seen him (Mosharraf) for 33 years in our area. He has no connection with the people. How has he been nominated?” Anisul asked.

Ebadur Rahman, another supporter of Milan, alleged Mosharraf was given the nomination in exchange for money.

“The government has sued our leader (Milan) in 33 cases. He has sacrificed everything for the party, but it has nominated a bogus person in exchange for money. We won’t accept it,” Ebadur said.

Taimur pulled out of the election to Narayanganj City Corporation in 2011 following Khaleda’s decision. He was later awarded the post of her adviser.

The BNP has nominated its Narayanganj district unit General Secretary and a former BGMEA president Quazi Moniruzzaman Monir for the Rupganj seat wanted by Taimur in the general election slated for Dec 30.

Abdur Rashid, a leader of the BNP’s worker wing the Sramik Dal in Rupganj, also alleged some leaders took money from Monir and dropped Taimur.

“There will be fire in Narayanganj if this decision is not withdrawn,” the supporter of Taimur said.

Taimur was inside the offices when his supporters launched the attack.

As the senior leaders did not notice his presence, he sneaked out with his confidantes at one stage.

Salim’s supporter Mahbubur Rahman said they would not accept the nomination of FE Sharfuzzaman Jahangir for the Goapalganj seat encompassing Muksudpur and parts of Kashiani.

On Friday night, late BNP secretary general Khondkar Delwar Hossain’s son Khondkar Abdul Hamid Dablu and his sister Delwara Begum Panna went to meet Mirza Fakhrul after Dablu was dropped from the list of candidates.

They were reduced to tears in anger and frustration as the security personnel stopped them and their supporters at the gate.