BANGLADESH

Support to former MP Shamim Osman in the Narayanganj City Corporation polls by three organising secretaries of the ruling party is not an indication of backing by the party, senior Awami League leader Suranjit Sengupta has said.

"No support has been extended to anyone in Narayanganj on behalf of Awami League," he told reporters on Friday at a discussion at Dhaka Reporters Unity.

He said support to Osman by the three leaders was a 'personal matter'.

Soon after Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, Ahmed Hossain and Abu Sayeed Al Mahmud Swapan visited Shamim's campaign office on Thursday evening, acting general secretary of the party Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif had also said he had no knowledge of any party decision on the matter.

"I have no clue about it," he told and declined to comment any further on the matter. Hanif also dismissed further queries by saying, "Ask them."

Selina Hayat Ivy, the other major mayoral contender alongside BNP's Toimur Alam Khandker, is also a ruling party member and daughter of one of the party founders—Ali Ahmed Chunka.

Responding to a query, she said, "In no way it can be seen as him winning the support of the party. It's only support by Shamim Osman's friends."

Top Awami League leaders including prime minister Sheikh Hasina have met and tried, unsuccessfully, to persuade both Shamim and Ivy to end their rivalry.

However, now both of them would fight as mayoral contenders in the poll scheduled for Oct 30 as the party did not make its official position clear, even as the last hours of nomination withdrawal went on Wednesday.

Suranjit on Friday said, "According to the constitution, there are only two types of election systems — central government election and local government election. There is no chance to nominate a partisan candidate in the local government."

"If a partisan candidate must be nominated, then a law in this regard will have to be passed in parliament."

KHALEDA RIDICULED

Ridiculing the main opposition party chief Khaleda Zia's remarks that she would not return home before ousting the government, Suranjit said, "She said she won't return to home without overthrowing the government. Where she will stay in this rainy season?"

"She [Khaleda] said she will begin another liberation war. My question is what kind of war she is talking about with Jamaat-e-Islami on her side? Will she fight to return to Pakistan period again?"

Awami League advisory council member also talked of strengthening own party to foil the opposition's anti-government agitation programmes.