Partho told to know about his father

Bangladesh Jatiya Party chief Andaleeve Rahman Partho has been heavily criticised by ruling party lawmakers for taking a dig at several Awami League leaders including ministers.

The Bhola-1 MP launched a scathing attack on Minister without Portfolio Suranjit Sengupta, Awami League leader Tofail Ahmed, former Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain, and State Minister Jahangir Kabir Nanak in his speech on budget on Monday.

Apparently upset by his remarks, Awami League’s Shamsul Hoque Chowdhury MP reflected on 'corruption' by the BJP Chairman’s father, Naziur Rahman Manju.

Manju was a minister during military strongman Hussein Muhammad Ershad. He later became Dhaka City Corporation Mayor. Manju had also served as the Secretary General of Jatiya Party floated by Ershad.

He later broke away to launch Bangladesh Jatiya Party. Partho became the party’s chief after his death.

“What’s your father’s true identity?” Shamsul Hoque Chowdhury asked the BJP chief.

“Ask your mother about your father’s income source.

“… You wear suits worth hundreds of thousands of taka. Whose money financed your Bar-at-Law studies? [You dare] speak about Mr Suranjit and Mr Nanak. Ershad would have laughed had he been present,” Chowdhury said.

Responding to Suranjit’s statement over driving Hifazat-e Islam activists from Motijheet, Partho said if 100,000 people took out a procession against him, who would be to blame, the minister or those people.

Partho alleged Nanak had a VoIP business in his daughter’s name. “Instead of staying at Savar for three days for Rana Plaza, he could have solved the problem by giving away his income of three days.”

He also talked about the caretaker issue, saying whenever the topic came up, it is said the army would take power if the system was restored. He said the opposition favoured a democratic change of power.

The opposition leader said no questions were raised when Tofail Ahmed visited Bhola 40 times by helicopter in past four years but newspapers ran reports questioning the source of money when Hifazat’s nonagenarian chief Shah Ahmad Shafi travelled by helicopter.

About the murder of Ganajagaran Mancha activist Ahmed Rajib Haider, Partho said if the ‘Thaba Baba’ blog did not belong to Rajib then how it was true that the four killers had murdered him after reading the blog. “It means Thaba Baba existed.”

The BJP leader alleged there was ‘corruption’ in the power sector. “I was earlier speaking of Summit Group. Aziz Khan is the king of the power sector. Now, there comes the ‘monarch’ of this sector who is none other than Mr (Syed) Abul Hossain.

“He is the biggest player in power sector,” Partho alleged.

A sceptical BJP chief said, “The Padma bridge should be named after Abul Hossain, if it is ever constructed. It will remain as an example.”

BNP’s Mahmudul Hasan MP demanded Parliament expunged the ‘objectionable’ statements against the party’s founder Ziaur Rahman and Senior Vice Chairman Tarique Rahman.

Shamsul Hoque Chowdhury, speaking about the political career of Hasan, said, “Everyone knows who the ‘Thief of Baghdad’ is. Your leader (Opposition Leader Khaleda Zia) used to call him by this name.”

Hasan, a retired Major General, was the Home Minister during Ershad’s regime. He later joined BNP.