Chaos at BNP conference in Rajshahi

Leaders and activists of district unit BNP yesterday locked in clashes and created chaos in front of central leaders at Uttara Community Centre in a similar fashion the city unit showed on Monday.

Unruly party men also assaulted City Rajshahi Corporation Mayor Mosaddek Hossain Bulbul and district BNP Secretary General Motiur Rahman Montu at Shah Makhdum Airport in the afternoon.

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Rajshahi city BNP Secretary General Shafikul Haque Milon and his men assaulted them as they were returning from the airport after seeing off the central leaders.

Milon became angry with Montu when the latter asked him to keep away from district politics, according to insiders.

“Milon pushed me on the ground by holding my neck, while his men pulled my clothes,” alleged Montu. They also hurled abuses at Mayor Bulbul, he added.

Milon refuted the allegations. “No arguments occurred,” he said, adding, chaos at the conference was “sad incidents”.

Earlier, at the beginning of the district BNP conference at 11:00am, a Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal leader jumped on the stage and began arguing with the leaders as soon as the name of district unit President Tofazzal Hossain Topu was announced as the chair, eyewitnesses say.

JCD leader Faysal Sarker Diko however claimed he was not invited to the programme and the new committee leaders started beating him up when he went to complain about it.

At one stage, the leaders and activists of the party locked in a brawl. They tore down the conference banner, damaged furniture and threw sandals and plastic chairs at each other.

On the stage, BNP standing committee member Goyeswar Chandra Roy, BNP chief Khaleda Zia's adviser Mizanur Rahman Minu and Rajshahi division Organising Secretary Ruhul Kuddus Talukdar Dulu concluded the conference by delivering brief speeches.

Motiur Rahman Montu alleged that followers of Rajshahi division Assistant Organising Secretary Shahin Shawkat, supported by former district BNP president Nadim Mostafa, was responsible for the chaos.

“They wanted to show the central leaders that the new committees were not able to control the partymen,” said Montu. He claimed those who made the chaos showing muscles are outnumbered.

Contacted, Shahin Shawkat said the new committee leaders should have organised the conferences after settling grievances of the partymen. “Many dedicated leaders and activists were deprived in the new committees,” he observed.

The feud began when the new committees were announced in December last year. It intensified as the committees got approval on April 27 this year.

Topu was made the district BNP president replacing former lawmaker Nadim Mostafa, who had led the committee for more than a decade.

Milon was once again made the city unit secretary general, while Motiur Rahman Montu got the post of district unit secretary general.

Bulbul was made city unit president replacing Mizanur Rahman Minu, who was at city BNP's helm for around three decades.