Syed Ashraf rumours turn true

On Tuesday Syed Ashraful Islam had brushed off his dismissal as a rumour, but just 48 hours later on Thursday, he was removed from the local government, rural development and cooperatives ministry.

The ministry was handed over to Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain, a close relative of prime minister Sheikh Hasina and minister for expatriate welfare and overseas employment. He will retain this ministry and take on the new one as additional responsibility.

While many within the party are happy that Syed Ashraf has been rendered minister without portfolio, they are not happy that this ministry has been given to a relatively less politically experienced person. Ever since the nineties, whether it was Awami League or BNP in power, this financially and politically important ministry always was given to the party general secretary.

There are rumours of at least three more controversial ministers being removed from the cabinet. These changes are to take place shortly, it has been hinted. Cabinet secretary Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told Prothom Alo, "I do not know anything about the matter."

When local government minister Syed Ashraful Islam didn't turn up at the meeting of the executive committee of the national economic council (ECNEC) on Tuesday, the prime minister had hinted at his removal. Speculations ran rife that day, but in the evening Syed Ashraf dismissed this as a rumour.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina summoned Syed Ashraf to her office on Thursday afternoon, where they had an hour-long exclusive meeting. An official of the prime minister's office said, he had acquiesced to the prime minister's offer and would remain as a minister sans portfolio. He will remain party general secretary till the the party's council scheduled to be held in December.

Even after being stripped of his ministry, Syed Ashraf continued his regular political activities on Thursday. He attended an iftar hosted by Jubo League at the party office in Bangabandhu Avenue. He made no comments to the media about the issue.

A senior minister told Prothom Alo, he deserved this. There had long been talk within the party and the government about his inactivity.

Sources have said that his absence at the ECNEC meeting was not the reason for his removal from the ministry. The prime minister has been annoyed with him for some time now. He would attend the ministry irregularly, only sometimes join the government and party programmes. He had been target of criticism from within the government and party.

The main complaint against him was that he wouldn't attend office in the ministry, though there were no allegations against him about corruption or failure to get work done. There were, however, allegations against one of his personal officers, taken from the party, for abuse of power and involvement in financial irregularities.

There were complaints against Syed Ashraf about not participating in party programmes or, as general secretary, not maintaining contact with party leaders around the country. He had as accused of having a general disinterest in running the party. But these complaints were nothing new. Those there was basis for these complaints, he hadn't bee removed from the party.

He often differed from the government. He was not consulted about the Tk 6,700 crore massive project of his ministry approved at the last ECNEC meeting. Despite allegations of rampant corruption against Prashanta Kumar Karmakar, project director of the government's 'one house, one farm' project, he couldn't take any action against him. The project director bypassed him and was in direct contact with the prime minister's office.

When the proposal first arose about allocating funds directly to the members of parliament, he had opposed it. He said this would give rise to allegations of corruption. He said the funds should be allocated to projects taken up by the lawmakers. He differed with the government on several other issues.

This tension with the government was further exacerbated by finance minister Abul Mal Abdul Muhit, who said at the ECNEC meeting that the Tk 6000 crore massive project was very important, neither of the two ministers of the local government ministry were present at the meeting, so the project should be shelved. Their views were required before approval.

Prime minister and ECNEC chairperson Sheikh Hasina said the project would not be shelved. If he didn't come, he would be shelved.

In the meantime, having been given the new responsibility, Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain said, "My first and foremost task will be to implement the prime minister's 'one house one farm' programme to accelerate rural development." Speaking to journalists at his home in Badarpur, Faridpur on Thursday, Khandakar Mosharraf, father-in-law of the prime minister's daughter, expressed gratitude towards the prime minister.

Meanwhile, people of Syed Ashraful Islam's area in Kishoreganj are furious at his removal from the ministry. Tea stall owner Nasir Miah said, "Good people never get justice." A garage owner Tamim Miah in the town said, "Good people are never valued or else why would we lose such an honest and humble leader like Syed Ali Ashraf?"