Election 2008

Moulvibazar Election Tidbits

26 December 2008, 18:00 PM

Our Correspondent, Moulvibazar

Saifur 's cousin injured
Unidentified terrorists Thursday night injured former finance minister and BNP nominee for Moulvibazar-3 M Saifur Rahman's cousin Rafiqul Islam Mani Miah and Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal leader Suhel Ahmed. It has been learnt that, while former minister's cousin along with Suhel Ahmed was returning to his Baharmordan village home after election campaign about 11.30 pm Thursday night, a gang of terrorists of 12 to 14 attacked them at Hilalpur area. The terrorists chopped them with sharp weapons inflicting serious injury. They have been admitted to Moulvibazar sadar hospital. On Friday morning, Moulvibazar district BNP arranged a press conference at local BNP office. Begum Khaleda Robbani, convener of Moulvibazar BNP's election conducting committee at the press conference alleged that AL terrorists were responsible for the attack. She demanded immediate arrest and punishment to the culprits.

Expats' appeal to voters
A number of UK expatriates have urged the voters to elect the candidates of the grand alliance. They said, formation of next government by the AL led grand alliance is urgently needed for the country as, according to them, the country had suffered a lot during the BNP-Jamaat regime. “Now the time has come to elect a corruption-free and sound government”, they said. The UK expatriates said this at a press conference at a local restaurant in Moulvibazar town Thursday evening. At the press conference, the expatriates said, people had suffered for the misrule, corruption, harassment and extremist activities by the past BNP-Jamaat alliance government. They said, the musclemen of the former BNP lawmaker from Moulvibazar-3 tortured Nabab Uddin, the editor of the London based Bangla weekly 'Janamat', when he came to the country in 2005. The expatriates believe that they will be able to invest in the country and remain free from harassment in the airports if the grand alliance was voted to power, they added. Former councillor of London Tower Hamlets MA Rahim Shahid and former student leader Abdul Basit Chowdhury Khokan were among who addressed the press conference. Anti-AL quarters campaign for "boat"?
After central direction of AL, the party nominee for Moulvibazar-2 (Kulaura and 4 unions of Kamalganj) seat Ataur Rahman Shamim has stopped his election campaign. AL has given this seat to JP candidate Nawab Ali Abbas Khan and Khan is running his campaign with the symbol 'Plough'. All level leaders and workers of AL have got involved with the campaign of the JP candidate. But an anti AL quarter is conducting campaign in the area in favor of 'Boat" through loud speakers. Leaders of Kulaura upazila AL alleged that, anti AL quarters have been doing this with an ill motive to resist grand alliance candidate as his prospect is bright. The anti AL quarter have chosen tea garden belt under this constituency for campaign of 'Boat', as tea garden labourers are known traditionally as supporter of Boat symbol. 500 BNP men join AL
About 500 leaders and workers of BNP of Khalilpur union under Moulvibazar sadar upazila have joined AL on Thursday. Abdul Basit Chowdhury, convenor of Khalilpur Union AL said, these BNP men have joined AL under leadership of Khalid Hussain, Abul Kashem, Md Alauddin, Siddique Miah and Shamsuddin Member.