Wednesday • July 12, 2006

N A T I O N A L  N E W S

View exchange meeting Sirajganj and Lalmonirhat district leaders held

15th amendment a ploy to cling to power: Sheikh Hasina

Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday criticized the government for bringing amendment to the constitution for holding by-elections to vacant seats during the last six months or 180 days of the parliament instead of 90 days.

She said the bill is fully motivated, unexpected, undesirable and unnecessary. Sheikh Hasina observed that it's a new conspiracy to play with the fate of the people.

She made these comments to newsmen before sitting for an exchange of views meeting with her party's grassroots leaders of Sirajganj and Lalmonirhat districts at Awami League's Dhanmondi office on Tuesday.

Presidents and general secretaries of the district units as well as the different pourasabha and upazila units exchanged views with the party chief. At least 40 leaders from these units, comprising 10 constituencies of the Jatiya Sangsad, attended the meeting.

Sirajganj District unit President Abdul Latif Mirza and General Secretary Advocate KM Hasan Ali and Lalmonirhat District unit President Motaher Hossain, MP and General Secretary Advocate Motiar Rahman led their respective teams to the meetings.

Sheikh Hasina asked the grassroots leaders of the two districts to prepare themselves for the next general election by forgetting intra-party conflicts and misunderstanding. "Work untiedly, dedicated leaders and workers could be evaluated properly," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said Awami League believes in a non-communal and democratic social system but the four-party alliance's politics is corruption, looting and terrorism.

"With the killing of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975, the people's right to vote had been snatched away and it was regained after the mass upsurge in 1990, Sheikh Hasina said alleging that people's rights were again stolen in February 1996 elections. Later, the people's rights were restored in the elections held under the caretaker government but it was again snatched way in the last general elections, she said the Leader of the Opposition also made it clear that no election will be allowed to be held in Bangladesh without reforms in the caretaker government system and the election commission.

Awami League presidium members Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, Suranjit Sengupta MP, Motia Chowdhury, Joint Secretary Obaidul Quader and Organizing Secretary Mahmudur Rahman Manna, among others, were present.

Speaker denies debate on proposed amendment

Awami League walks out twice in protest

Members of Awami League yesterday staged walk out from the House twice after the Speaker refused them to discuss the proposed constitutional amendment and controversies over allotment of residence former caretaker government chief Latifur Rahman.

The Awami League legislators walked out of the House first just before the Maghrib prayers recesses when Speaker Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar switched off the mike of Mohammad Nasim, who questioned ruling party's motive on the proposed amendment to the Constitution.

Soon after the Maghrib prayer recesses, the Awami League members returned to House but walked out again as the Speaker did not allow them to proceed with the issue.

Later at a press conference, the Awami League lawmakers bitterly criticized the Speaker for preventing them from raising the topic and accused the speaker of being biased and partisan.

Opposition the proposed amendment Awami League parliamentarian Suranjit Sengupta said, "No outgoing government or Parliament can pass such a kind of important bill," He termed the proposed amendment as an evil-ploy to create a Constitutional crisis in the country.

Another Awami League lawmaker Mohammad Nasim expressed his party's vow to resist the evil-motive of the government at any time.

Among those present at the press conference were Awami League MPs Zillur Rahman, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Abdus Shaheed, Dr, Abdur Razzaq, advocate Rahmat Ullah and Col Faruk Khan.

Teachers continue their indefinite strike as government yet to decide about the demands

The teachers and employees of non-government high schools, colleges and madrasas across the country continued their indefinite strike for the fifth consecutive day Tuesday while the government is yet to decide about their demands due to disagreement between the ministers of education and finance.

According to the Education minister's office, Education Minister M Osman Farruk agreed to increase the basic salary to 95 per cent from the existing 90 per cent, but the Finance Minister Saifur Rahman declined to endorse it on grounds of fund constraint.

Thirty-six organisations of teachers and employees under four platforms are on an indefinite strike to press home their 10-point demand. About 0.50 million teachers and employees of more than 30,000 non-government educational institutions across the country are observing the strike, according to the sources.

The fate of around 15 million students of non-government schools, colleges and madrashas hangs in the balance as the teachers are continuing their strike for the last four days, according to sources.

The teachers and the employees belonging to different platforms have been staging demonstrations, holding rallies and bringing out processions since June 9 for realisation of their demands.

The Teachers-Employees United Front (TEUF), alliance of 11 associations of non-government teachers and employees' leaders at rally in the capital alleged that Finance Minister Saifur Rahman and State Minister for Education ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milan were conspiring to foil their movement. They also demanded resignation of these two ministers.

The Financial Express, July 12, 2006

Jamaluddin murder case

Name of BNP MP's brother dropped from charge sheet

A chargesheet was submitted Tuesday before the CMM court against 16 people in the abduction and murder cases of business magnet Jamaluddin.

Twenty-one people were originally named in the chargesheet but five of them have been dropped as they were killed in police custody.

Besides, the allegation against Maruf Nizam, brother of BNP lawmaker Sarwar Jamal Nizam, of his involvement in killing Jamaluddin was not taken into cognizance by the IO while forwarding the charge sheet to the AC (prosecution Monday evening.

Jamaluddin's family sources said they were planning to submit a demur (naraji) petition on the acceptability of the chargesheet on the day.

The Bangladesh Observer, July 12, 2006

Man killed at Sabujbagh

Assailants stabbed to death a man in front of his wife at the Green Model Town of Sabujbagh in Dhaka on Tuesday afternoon. Both the man and his wife are dumb. The deceased, Abdul Hannan, 35, was a resident of Rasulpur at Kamrangirchar.

A gang of four stopped the couple at about 4:00pm and stabbed the man in the chest, abdomen. The local people rescued the victim and took him to a local clinic where he was declared dead.

The New Age, July 12, 2006

Home | Contact Us

Best viewed using IE, Netscape at 800 x 600 pixels, 32-bit color depth
[ Bangladesh Awami League • Concept and design by www.albd.org ]