Aggrieved upazila chairmen and vice-chairmen Saturday expressed before the prime minister their discontent over the involvement of MPs as advisers to the local government body and interference in decision-making.
The Awami League-backed upazila chairmen and vice-chairmen, and municipality and city corporation mayors blamed the lawmakers’ attitude and the existing law for making the upazila parishads dysfunctional, meeting sources said.
At the fag-end of the government’s tenure, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, also ruling party president, Saturday met with Narayanganj City Corporation Mayor Salina Hayat Ivy, over 380 upazila chairmen, 680 vice-chairmen and 179 municipality mayors at Ganabhaban to exchange views with them.
Like the grassroots-level leaders in the past, many upazila chairmen Saturday raised allegations against a number of party lawmakers for their alleged involvement in anti-organisational activities and not maintaining relationship with the grassroots leaders and activists.
Several chairmen requested the party chief not to give nomination to the controversial lawmakers since it would benefit the opposition parties.
Meeting insiders confirmed that the upazila chairmen and vice-chairmen were not allowed to speak frankly and that they were not given any positive response from the head of government.
An upazila chairman from Dhaka district, wishing anonymity, told the Dhaka Tribune that he did not understand why he was invited for the meeting and that the party chief had not given any directives about their duties ahead of the parliamentary polls.
Several upazila chairmen informed the party president about the organisational weakness in their areas and requested her to resolve the problems before the national polls.
The sources said they had assured Hasina that the party’s victory was very much possible if the party men remained united. They also requested her to give nominations following the recommendations of the grassroots.
Narayanganj city Mayor Ivy raised objection against the Upazila Parishad Ordinance saying that it was deterrent to strengthening the local government and observed that the controversial provision of making the lawmakers advisers to the upazila parishads should be scrapped.
In response to her proposal, the prime minister said the MPs had passed the law. “Will the MPs pass any law that will cut their power?”
Meanwhile, responding to the frustrations of the chairmen and vice-chairmen, Hasina assured them of strengthening the local government tiers if voted to power once again and introducing district budget.
Party leaders Amir Hossain Amu, Abdul Latif Siddiqui, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, HT Imam, Syed Ashraful Islam, Mahabub-Ul-Alam Hanif and AFM Bahauddin Nasim were present at the event.
