Khagrachhari Hill District Council
AL gives Nov 4 deadline to remove its chief, 4 members
Human chain on Nov 4,' mass hunger strike' Nov 6
Monindra Lal Tripura
Khagrachhari district Awami League yesterday gave the government a November 4 deadline for removal of Khagrachhari Hill District Council (KHDC) chairman and its four members for their alleged involvement with BNP-Jamaat politics and their 'planned design' to influence the upcoming national election. At a press conference held at the party office, AL leaders announced that it will form a human chain in the hill town on November 4 and hold a 'mass hunger strike' on November 6 to press the demand. Awami League will launch a tougher agitation if the demand is not met by November 4. The 'partisan' KHDC me should be removed immediately to hold a free and fair polls, district AL secretary Mohammad Zahedul Alam said in a written statement read out at the press conference. Front ranking district AL leaders including its president Zatindra Lal Tripura attended the press conference. BNP leader Monindra Lal Tripura was appointed KHDC chairman on March 29, 2006. Earlier, immediately after assumption of power, the BNP-Jamaat government on February 11, 2002, appointed four BNP leaders as KHDC members. They were Animesh Chakma Rinku, Anupama Tripura, Mohammad Harunur Rashid and Mong Prue Chowdhury. As per of the four members expired, the caretaker government on July 12 last year appointed four persons as KHDC members. The incumbent four members appointed for the interim period are Sadar upazila BNP vice-president Animesh Dewan Nandith, district Jubo Dal organizing secretary Sanu Mong Marma, Mohalchhari upazila BNP vice-president Ruhity Karbari and district Jamaat leader Abu Bakar Siddik. The AL leaders at the press conference also claimed that the incumbent KHDC chairman would contest in the coming national polls. KHDC councilor (member) Animesh Dewan will contest from Sadar Upazila and Ruhity Karbary from Mohalchhari upazila in the upazila election as BNP men, they claimed. All the KHGC officials are prospective candidates and so they are using KHDC and all government resources with this end in view, the AL leaders alleged. “How polls can be free and fair if the four key persons becomes contenders?”, Zahedul posed the question. They are already campaigning, utilising resources sent as relief by the government and foreign donors, he claimed. Moreover, the five KHDC officials have appointed 82 party men as project chairmen in 82 cluster villages to distribute government relief, the district AL secretary said. They have already distributed relief food grains, several thousand lunghis, sarees and other clothes among people to win over possible voters. They demanded that relief and other assistance be distributed through the district and upazila administrations and NGOs in the hill district till removal of the five KHDC officials. District AL vice-president Rono Bikrom Tripura, joint secretary Saheb Ali, Mohila AL joint secretary Nigar Sultana, poura AL president Tapon Kanti and sadar upazila AL president Chandra Shekhor Das, among others were present at the press conference.
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