'Being born into this family was a mistake', Obaidul Quader's younger brother says

Indicating conflict with his elder brother Abdul Quader Mirza over candidature for the post of chairman at the Companyganj upazila parishad election in Noakhali, his younger brother and candidate Md Shahadat Hossain said, "I think being born into this family has been a mistake. Had I realised that then, I would have told them, to poison and kill me."

Shahadat said this while speaking to journalists yesterday, Friday, during carrying out campaigns in Bashurhat.

Shahadat Hossain is the younger brother of Awami League general secretary and road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader.

Another brother Abdul Quader Mirza is president of Companyganj upazila Awami League and mayor of Bashurhat pourashava.

Abdul Quader Mirza is campaigning for Shahadat's rival candidate in the upazila election, Golam Sharif Chowdhury.

Shahadat claims that Abdul Quader Mirza had used Golam Sharif to file appeals in the Supreme Court and the High Court to disqualify Shahadat from the election.

Shahadat Hossain said, "They declared that their candidate is from Awami League. But nowhere in Bangladesh has any Awami League candidate been fielded. From my very birth I have cooperated with them. But they never help me in any way. I think being born into this family was a mistake. Had I realised that then, I would have told them, to poison and kill me."

Obliquely referring to elder bothers Obaidul Quader and Abdul Quader Mirza, Shahadat went on to say, "The two of them claim to be brothers. We are not brothers. We are jackals, dogs. We are the disgrace of the family, not brothers. Where will I seek justice? The administration is against me. They torture my people day and night. If any of my people walk down the street, they catch him and say there are charges against him. Over here, even Awami League people are accused of being BNP-Jamaat and then tortured."

Earlier at a meeting of chairman candidate Golam Sharif Chowdhury, held on 15 May at the Bashurhat pourashava auditorium, Quader Mirza called Shahadat Hossain a disgrace to the family, saying that Shahadat was not his brother.

Meanwhile on Thursday, Shahadat Hossain's candidacy was restored by means of a Supreme Court ruling. Shahadat says he won at the Supreme Court and now awaits his next victory on 29 May.

Shahadat Hossain said that he expected to win if the election was fair. He alleged that the opposing candidate was using a 'helmet force' in the field. Members of this helmet force were going to the homes of his (Shahadat's) workers and also to the homes of the voters, and threatening them. That is why he is apprehensive about the election not being fair.

Speaking to journalists, Shahadat said, "Go around Bashurhat and see if they have any support. They are using their 'helmet force' to threaten elderly people. They are using the teen gangs to threaten people. I am a helpless person, I have Allah above and the people below. If we can have a fair election on the 29th, InshaAllah I will win with a huge margin of votes."

He said, "They are using the administration machinery to oust me from the election repeatedly, they cancelled my nomination papers. My workers in Companyganj can't sleep a wink at night because of the mayhem they have created. Alongside the helmet force, they have created a 'hammer' force too."