A video of Emdadul Haque Bhorsa, president of the BNP's Kaunia upazila unit in Rangpur, has gone viral on social media, in which he is heard promising business deals and contracts to party leaders and activists if elected as a member of parliament.
In the viral video, Bhorsa says: “We will not run after becoming presidents of market committees or school committees. Just elect me as your MP and I will give you all kinds of work. All types of businesses, contracts—whatever there is, rice, lentils, salt—I will give you everything.”
The statement was made recently during a discussion meeting organized by Pirgacha upazila BNP on the occasion of the 44th death anniversary of BNP founder and former president Ziaur Rahman.
In response to the video, Bhorsa told Dhaka Tribune: “The way my statement is being portrayed is not correct. What I meant was that if I am elected as an MP, I will work for the development of the area and for the betterment of people’s lives. That is all I intended to say.”
When contacted for a comment, BNP Rangpur Division Organizing Secretary Asadul Habib Dulu told Dhaka Tribune: “Only he can explain the context in which he made the statement. You should ask him directly—he can clarify what he meant. Also, he did not say this at any official party event.”
Bhorsa, former president of Rangpur district BNP, currently heads the party’s Kaunia upazila unit.
He ran for office from the Rangpur-4 (Kaunia-Pirgacha) constituency in the 2018 national election as a BNP nominee, but lost to Awami League candidate Tipu Munshi in what is widely considered a controversial election.
He is now seeking the BNP nomination for the same constituency in the upcoming national polls.
