HT Imam comes under fire

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and many of her cabinet colleagues yesterday came down hard on HT Imam for his recent controversial comment that the government used the administration for holding the January 5 polls.

In a cabinet meeting at the secretariat, the PM was furious that Imam was using her name to clarify his position on the comment, said meeting sources.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Imam claimed the premier was aware that he was going to hold a press conference and advised him indirectly to clarify his position.

During an informal discussion in the cabinet meeting, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed drew the PM's attention to the matter and asked her whether she had advised Imam to clarify his position. Hasina in response said she was totally unaware that she gave the go-ahead to Imam to hold the media briefing. “It's a blatant lie,” the sources quoted the PM as saying. 

Hasina said she had no communications with Imam since November 12. She did not give any appointment to Imam to meet her and even did not receive phone calls from him for the last four days.    

Listen HT Imam's speech

Joining the discussion, another minister said Imam's comments are more harmful to government than those by former minister Abdul Latif Siddique on hajj and Prophet Muhammad (SM). Imam has given a weapon to those, including the BNP, who have been speaking against the January 5 polls, added the minister.   

Also the president of ruling Awami League, Hasina expressed her resentment against Imam for “illegally” removing the general secretary of the AL Ullapara upazila unit of Sirajganj from the post and picking his son Tanveer Imam, also the local lawmaker, for the post.

“I asked him [Imam] why general secretary Shafiqul Islam, a former lawmaker and dedicated leader of the party, has been removed. He [Imam] told me that Shafique was corrupt,” a minister quoted the premier as saying.

The PM said she had nominated Imam's son for the parliamentary election though he was never involved in AL politics.

Without naming Imam, she told her colleagues that such kind of people always undermine all the achievements and image of the government by making controversial statements.

She warned the ministers and state ministers of not making any controversial remarks while holding responsible positions in the government.

The PM in this connection referred to the action taken against Abdul Latif Siddique who has been dropped from the cabinet and removed from all party posts.

Talking to The Daily Star, Shafiqul Islam said he was dropped from the upazila AL committee illegally on November 14. “Nobody can drop me from the committee without either expelling me from the party or dissolving the committee,” he claimed. He visited the Gono Bhaban last night to meet the prime minister.

SEND DELEGATION TO USA

The PM asked Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed to send a delegation to the United States to know about the functioning of the trade unions in their garment factories. She told the minister to write a letter to the US government about sending the delegation.

Hasina made the suggestion after the minister informed her that US envoy in Dhaka Dan Mozena recently wanted to know from him about the trade union facilities at the garment factories in export procession zones.