Desk Report,
Nasiruddin’s statement alluding to Salahuddin, protests and road blockades in Cox’s Bazar
BNP leaders and activists and a section of the anti-discrimination student movement have staged protests across Cox’s Bazar district over the statement of National Citizen Party (NCP) chief coordinator Nasiruddin Patwari, who alluded to BNP standing committee member and former MP from Cox’s Bazar-1 (Chakaria-Pekua) Salahuddin Ahmed. The protest took place after noon today, Saturday.
Nasiruddin’s statement alluding to Salahuddin, protests and road blockades in Cox’s Bazar
At the ‘Desh Garte July Padayatra’ program held at Shaheed Daulat Maidan of the Public Library on the banks of Laldighi in Cox’s Bazar town on Saturday afternoon, NCP chief coordinator Nasiruddin Patwari said, ‘Earlier, during the Awami League era, there was a famous godfather in Narayanganj, Shamim Osman; now I hear that a new godfather has come to Cox’s Bazar from Shillong. He is occupying the enclosure, occupying people’s land, and extorting money. If I don’t mention his name, then he doesn’t understand reform.’ When Nasiruddin’s statement was spread through various media and social media, BNP and its affiliated organizations’ leaders and activists immediately protested. In the evening, the District Chhatra Dal held a protest rally at the old Shaheed Minar in the city’s Khumgachtala. Then, they held a protest march on the city’s main road.
At the same time, leaders and activists of BNP, Chhatra Dal, Jubo Dal and affiliated organizations held protest marches and rallies in Chakaria, Ramu, Eidgaon, Ukhia and Teknaf. At that time, there were reports of a road blockade in Ukhia on the Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf road from 5 pm to 6:30 pm.
In the face of protests, the NCP could not hold its pre-scheduled Eidgaon and Chakaria road meetings.
On Saturday night, a section of the anti-discrimination student movement held a protest march on the city’s main road. The slogans raised against Nasiruddin in the protest procession were, ‘Salauddin Ahmed is not afraid, he has not left the road’/ ‘Don’t do July, July is not for anyone’s father’/ ‘I have given blood, I will give more blood’ etc. BNP’s Central Fisheries Affairs Secretary and former MP from Cox’s Bazar-3 (Sadar, Ramu and Eidgaon) constituency Lutfar Rahman Kajal has commented that it is necessary to investigate whether Nasiruddin Patwari is fishing in troubled waters by making statements that violate political etiquette at the NCP rally.
Lutfar Rahman said in a post on his verified Facebook ID on Saturday night, ‘The NCP leader’s ugly statement about BNP National Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed has disappointed the people of Cox’s Bazar. I condemn and protest. It is necessary to investigate whether they are fishing in troubled waters by making statements that are beyond political etiquette.’
On Saturday night, BNP held a protest march in Cox’s Bazar town following Nasiruddin’s statement. At the meeting, District BNP General Secretary Shamim Ara Swapna announced that Nasiruddin would be made unwanted in Cox’s Bazar.
District BNP President Shahjahan Chowdhury, who is performing Umrah in Saudi Arabia, said in a video message, ‘NCP is trying to establish a political culture like Beyadab, we, the nationalist party, will protest against it at every place.’
NCP Joint Member Secretary SM Shuja Uddin wanted to know, saying that Nasiruddin Patwari did not name anyone in his speech. The language of protest is everyone’s political right, Cox’s Bazar is a fertile place for politics, everyone should be tolerant here.
