Mohiuddin blames Babu for attack on Ctg rally

Chittagong city Mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury blamed local AL lawmaker Akhteruzzaman Chowdhury Babu for Friday's attack on his public meeting at Charpathar Ghata on the other side of the river Karnaphuli.
Mohiuddin, also the president of Chittagong city Awami League, made the allegation at a press briefing at his Chashma Hill residence yesterday afternoon.
He also accused Akhteruzzaman of warning him against holding any public meeting in his constituency.
However, Akhteruzzaman, the president of Chittagong north district AL and a lawmaker from Chittagong-12 constituency, refuted all the allegations.
In the press briefing, Mayor Mohiuddin said a gazette notification was issued during the previous AL government to bring five unions -- Charpathar Ghata, Charlaxma, Baro Uthan, Shikolbaha and Jaldi -- of Chittagong-12 constituency under the Chittagong City Corporation (CCC). But the process was caught up in legal complexities.
A fresh move was taken to this end after the present AL government came to power.
"We decided to hold the public meeting to make the local people aware of development that would take place after the unions are brought under the city corporation and to know about their opinions," the mayor said.
"I also invited Babu Bhai (Akhteruzzaman) at the meeting over phone as the local lawmaker," he said.
"But Babu Bhai asked me how I was going to hold a meeting there without his permission. He also told me in a threatening tone that he would see how the meeting could be held," the mayor said.
The mayor also said that he is interested to bring the unions under the city corporation and develop them since it was his electoral pledge.
Meanwhile, at his Surson Road residence in the city yesterday evening, Akhteruzzaman told reporters that the mayor's statements are false.
Denying the allegation of threat, Akhteruzzaman said, "The mayor phoned me around 9:30pm on Thursday and invited me to attend the rally. But I expressed my inability to attend the meeting since I had some other appointments, including visiting Puja Mandaps."
"Mohiuddin Chowdhury is not my political opponent," he added.
"I made an electoral pledge to establish a separate upazila with these five unions for the development of the areas. The planning minister recently informed me that a proposal was approved in the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council in this regard," Akhteruzzaman said, adding that the prime minister also gave him assurance in this regard.
He, however, said that he would support what the local people want.
"I will also be pleased if the areas could be developed after bringing the unions under the city corporation and the local people could benefit from it," said the AL MP.