Saifur's reluctance deepens BNP crisis in Sylhet-1
Rival groups hold separate programmes
With BNP stalwart Saifur Rahman's reluctance to contest from Sylhet-1 (Sadar upazila and City corporation), party leaders and activists are now divided, his followers demanding his candidature from the seat and the other faction led by Ilyas Ali seeking Khaleda Zia to run in the constituency in the upcoming parliament election. The rival factions held yesterday held separate programmes in the city. Pro-Saifur people under the banner of 'Amra Sylhetbashi' organised a human chain at Central Shahid Minar in the city demanding fielding of Saifur in Sylhet-1. Sylhet city BNP leaders, who had been in the Saifur-backed group for long, organised the rally where some professionals and business people joined. “We had called upon the party chief to nominate Saifur again as there is no substitute,” city BNP Secretary Nasim Hossain said. Anti-Saifur faction, known as pro-Ilyas Ali group, held a meeting at the house of former district BNP president MA Haque at Jatarpur in the city yesterday afternoon. They demanded that Khaleda Zia contest from Sylhet-1, which bears a 'special importance' for long. Haque chaired the meeting while district convening committee members MA Gaffar, Ahea Reza Chowdhury, Ali Ahmed, Abdul Quaiyum jalali Ponki, Saiful Islam spoke, among others. Making an oblique reference to Saifur Rahman, the speakers said the people who had taken stand against Khaleda Zia in the name of reforms after the one eleven changeover should not be given party ticket for Sylhet-1. They demanded Khaleda Zia contest there. If it is not possible for Khaleda, BNP should nominate district BNP convener M Ilyas there, they said. Saifur's nomination for Sylhey-1 to fight against Awami League candidate AMA Muhit was almost final but there had been no preparation mainly due to the intra-party feud. Saifur at a view exchange meeting at his village home at Baharmardan in Moulvibazar on Sunday said he would not contest in Sylhet this time. He told Moulvibazar BNP leaders that he would contest from his home constituency Moulvibazar-3 (Sadar and Rajnagar). His son Naser Rahman was elected there in the by-election as Saifur quit the position lawmaker there after winning in 2001. Naser was jailed in an extortion case. Saifur was scheduled to visit Sylhet last Wednesday. But it was cancelled at the last moment. On November 6, Saifur attended separate informal meetings with some party men and with the pressmen at a hotel and left the city that day. It was first trip to Sylhet since after 1/11 changeover last year.
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