Syed Ashraf stripped of portfolio to make more time for Awami League work: Quader

Awami League Presidium Member Obaidul Quader says party chief Sheikh Hasina relieved General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam of LGRD ministry duties to help him devote more time to party work.

The road transport and bridges minister told journalists on Friday that Prime Minister Hasina’s move could very well be directed to this end.  

“Maybe [prime minister] felt [Syed Ashraf] was under too much pressure. [Making him a minister without portfolio] could allow him to give more time to the party,” Quader said.

Senior Awami League leaders were silent on Thursday’s stripping of Syed Ashraf’s portfolio, a politically important ministerial post he had held since Hasina returned to power for a second time on Jan 6, 2009.

He is the son of Bangladesh’s acting President during the 1971 Liberation War, Syed Nazrul Islam.

Syed Nazrul was brutally murdered inside Dhaka’s Central Jail on Nov 3, 1975 along with three other leaders.

His son proved his mettle when the military-controlled emergency government sought to punish politicians and banish Hasina and BNP chief Khaleda Zia from politics.

Quader treaded carefully, saying Hasina had the sole authority to decide on the Cabinet.

“Inclusion or exclusion of someone is entirely her decision.”

He added Syed Ashraf’s removal from the key ministry would have no ‘adverse’ effect on the party.

“You have seen the good and bad of the country’s running over the last few years. She [Prime Minister] has taken no wrong decisions.”

The two senior leaders have a history of exchanging barbs over how a minister should function.

Quader was one of the choices for general secretary when Hasina was imprisoned during the caretaker regime, but Ashraf was chosen.

Party insiders say a number of senior leaders were also critical of Syed Ashraf’s style of functioning and that civil servants often found it difficult to work with him.

Speculations started on Tuesday that the Kishoreganj MP had lost his position at the LGRD ministry after the prime minister expressed her “anger” over his absence at an ECNEC meeting.

Unconfirmed reports had it that she had ordered Ashraf’s removal amid allegations of his “almost regular” absence from important meetings.

There has been no reaction from Syed Ashraf, who had advised the press against reading too much into Tuesday’s rumours of his losing the portfolio.

Before the official announcement, the 63-year old went the PMO and spoke to Hasina privately for 15 minutes.