What fascist govt did in name of Model Mosques was reprehensible: Home Minister

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has said the government will order an investigation into how the cost of the Model Mosque Project increased, alleging that the previous Awami League government undertook a number of projects to loot public funds.

He said that what the former government had done "in the name of Islam and mosques" was "reprehensible."

The minister made the remarks on Monday in Parliament while responding to a supplementary question from Noakhali-2 lawmaker Zainul Abedin Farroque.

Standing in for Religious Affairs Minister Mofazzal Houssain during the question-and-answer session, Salahuddin Ahmed replied on the minister's behalf. The session was chaired by Deputy Speaker Kaiser Kamal.

In his supplementary question, Farroque said the budget for individual model mosques had risen from Tk 130 million to as much as Tk 210 million, arguing that the matter required investigation because of the significant waste of public money.

He asked whether the government would investigate the issue and take action.

Deputy Speaker Kaiser Kamal also commented on the matter, saying the situation in his constituency, Durgapur, was even more striking. He said a large pond lay in front of one model mosque, with a bridge required to reach it, adding that local residents had nicknamed the structure the "Taj Mahal."

Responding on behalf of the Religious Affairs Minister, Salahuddin Ahmed said, "During the previous Awami fascist government's tenure, various projects were undertaken to loot public money. I am not saying corruption on the scale of the Padma Bridge took place here. But what they did in the name of Islam and mosques was reprehensible."

He added that the Model Mosque initiative itself was an excellent one, but said it was reasonable to question whether the project''s estimated costs had been properly determined.

Referring to the increase in project costs from Tk 130 million to Tk 210 million per mosque, the home minister said the ministry would be instructed to conduct mosque-by-mosque investigations into how the costs had escalated and how many model mosques were involved.

He added that other government agencies could also take part in the investigation.

In a written reply to a question from Chattogram-15 lawmaker Shahjahan Chowdhury, the religious affairs minister said Bangladesh has 537,550.98 acres of registered waqf property. So far, 27.53 acres of waqf land have been recovered after being freed from illegal occupation.

In another written reply to a question from Narsingdi-1 lawmaker Khairul Kabir Khokon, the minister said honorariums had been provided to 13,949 religious personnel in line with government commitments. The beneficiaries include 4,683 imams, 4,312 muezzins, 3,784 caretakers of mosques, 586 Hindu priests, 422 temple caretakers, 95 heads of Buddhist institutions and 67 deputy heads of Buddhist institutions.

The minister also said that, in line with the government's election manifesto, the ongoing honorarium programme will eventually be expanded to cover imams, muezzins, mosque caretakers, Hindu priests, temple caretakers, and the heads and deputy heads of Buddhist religious institutions across the country.