A group of BNP leaders and activists, including a distant nephew of party chief Khaleda Zia, has joined the Awami League in Feni.
AKM Mohiuddin Majumder Shamu, son of Khaleda’s cousin Azharul Haq Majumder, together with nearly 100 BNP leaders and activists joined the ruling party by presenting a bouquet to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ex-protocol officer Alauddin Ahmed Chowdhury Nasim and Feni 2 lawmaker Nizam Hazari at a public meeting yesterday.
Local Awami League arranged the meeting at Iskandaria Alim Madrasa in front of Khaleda’s ancestral home at Sreepur village in Fulgazi upazila.
Awami League leaders present at the ceremony announced that most members of Khaleda’s house along with some local people joined their party as the BNP chief had not carried out development activities in the area during her rule.
Also a former chairman of Fulgazi union parishad, Shamu said that he had been the Fulgazi unit Jubo league president in 1973. “I will chant Joy Bangla slogan until my death and want to remain as an Awami family member.”
He also said: “Though Khaleda Zia is our aunt, she was never in touch with us. Her family members are arrogant and cannot respect people. She hardly comes to our house and she has nothing here.”
When contacted, Fulgazi unit BNP President Shahjahan Majumder claimed that Mohiuddin had never been involved with BNP politics. He also said that the announcement of ruling party leaders that most members of the BNP chief’s house had joined their party was also false.
