Questions over alleged favoritism in the distribution of fertilizer dealerships have emerged after claims that relatives of sitting lawmakers were among those awarded dealerships under a nationwide appointment process.
Hasnat Abdullah, member of parliament for Comilla-4, alleged that the beneficiaries included the wives, sons, nieces and other relatives of sitting MPs, raising concerns over transparency in the selection process.
He said the appointment process was marked by unprecedented corruption and asked the agriculture minister whether it would be reconsidered.
The opposition MP raised the allegations in a supplementary question to the minister during Wednesday afternoon's parliamentary session, presided over by Deputy Speaker Barrister Kaiser Kamal.
Citing several newspaper headlines, Hasnat told the House: “An MP's son, brother-in-law and nephew's wife have become fertilizer dealers. In Thakurgaon, 28 of the 31 dealers are affiliated with the BNP, and 10 of them are wives, children and nieces of party leaders.”
He also noted that a Chhatra Dal leader had been fatally attacked in Natore and that a child of an MP was also alleged to have received a dealership.
Hasnat described the appointments as a “grand festival” of favoritism.
Addressing the minister, he asked whether the irregularities were premeditated, whether the appointments would be reviewed, and when MPs would cease to exploit their positions for the commercial benefit of themselves and their families.
Minister's response
Agriculture Minister Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid responded that 2 committees had been constituted to oversee the appointments: one at the upazila level, chaired by the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), and another at the district level, chaired by the Deputy Commissioner (DC).
He said applications had been invited under specified rules and conditions, and that the ministry had instructed both committees to adhere strictly to those rules.
According to the minister, applications were first forwarded to the upazila level, where the UNO-led committee, together with the upazila agriculture officer, the relevant local agriculture officer and local dignitaries, conducted the initial scrutiny.
The vetted proposals were then submitted to the DC's office, where the district committee reviewed them and sent a ranked list of 3 candidates to the ministry.
The ministry declared the first-ranked candidate the dealer.
The minister added that the district committee comprised the district agriculture officer, the DC and other relevant officials. All proposals reached the ministry bearing the signatures of every committee member rather than that of any single individual.