BNP Workers Flood the Streets in Movement Demanding Change in Nominations

ছবিঃ সিএনআই

Dinajpur Correspondent: A flood of angry grassroots activists is streaming onto the streets in the Dinajpur Fulbari - Parbatipur (5) constituency, demanding a change in the nomination. They held a protest rally at the Jora Bridge near the Nimtoli area of Fulbari Upazila from Monday afternoon until evening. The gathering was overflowing with both male and female activists, and their protest march and slogans led to a two-hour standstill of vehicle movement on the Dinajpur-Gobindaganj regional highway, creating an unofficial blockade situation around the meeting area. They are continuing a sustained protest demanding the withdrawal of Barrister A.K.M. Kamruzzaman, who was imposed by the BNP high command, and the nomination of A.Z.M. Rezwanul Haque, a dedicated leader who has long consolidated the party in the electoral area. Two days prior, they held a massive protest rally involving thousands of male and female activists at the central bus terminal field in Parbatipur Upazila. The protesters claim that 32 years ago, the BNP's vote count in the constituency was only 12,000; that leader, A.Z.M. Rezwanul Haque, took charge of the party locally and secured 1 lakh 32 thousand votes in the 1995 election with the 'Sheaf of Paddy' symbol, achieving a record third place nationally in terms of votes received. They cannot accept the announcement of a candidate (Kamruzzaman) unknown to the area's activists, replacing their leader. They stated that they will not work for a candidate who has not been accessible to the activists in the last 20 years and has not stood by them in the legal battles against harassing cases during difficult times. Nomination aspirant A.Z.M. Rezwanul Haque said that Kamruzzaman's father ran against him on the 'Scale' symbol as a Jamaat candidate in the '95 election, claiming that Kamruzzaman is an heir from the Jamaat household. Activists allege that Kamruzzaman studied law abroad with Jamaat funding, as the son of a Jamaat leader, and was pushed into the BNP by Jamaat with a long-term plan, making him Tarique Rahman's lawyer. They claim that local Jamaat leaders distributed sweets immediately after the announcement of his nomination. They contend that the Jamaat-nominated candidate and Kamruzzaman are essentially from the same family faction and they do not want to lose the seat, an achievement built up over time by the BNP, by handing it over to Jamaat. Several angry workers opined that if the party does not change the nomination, they wish to ensure victory for A.Z.M. Rezwanul Haque, even if he runs as an independent candidate, to keep the seat within the BNP fold. Furthermore, another BNP nomination aspirant, Zakaria Bachchu, has started a separate protest program with his followers, demanding the same nomination change. The grassroots activists involved in the movement have declared that A.K.M. Kamruzzaman will not be accepted as the 'Sheaf of Paddy' candidate under any circumstances, and they have threatened to call for road blockades and other disruption programs. On the other hand, a limited number of activists, including former Fulbari Upazila Parishad Chairman and BNP leader Principal Khurshid Alam Moti, have taken to the field in support of the nominated candidate, A.K.M. Kamruzzaman.