N'ganj AL chief Akram quits party

SM Akram

SM Akram, the Awami League's Narayanganj district convener who backed Selina Hayat Ivy in the city corporation election, resigned from the party yesterday, noting that he had been undermined by the central leaders of the party.
The ruling Awami League appeared to be faced with the dilemma of having to choose a single candidate for the first-ever Narayanganj mayoral polls. Its top leaders supported Shamim Osman while most party men in the district campaigned for Ivy.
“I defied the AL decision to support Shamim and joined Ivy's camp,” said Akram. “I think I've lost the moral ground to remain in the party.”
Local leaders and activists were filled with gloom as Akram announced his stepping down as the unit convener as well as a party member through a press conference at the district AL office. Party members tried in vain to persuade him into withdrawing the decision.
A former AL lawmaker, Akram said he had already sent his resignation letter to the party general secretary.
Reading out a written statement, he mentioned a series of instances of the AL high command's devaluing of his loyalty, honesty and contribution to the party.
The statement explored how the party on several occasions used Akram, reputed as a gentleman with a clean image, but dumped him when the necessity was over.
Akram was made unit convener for the first time in 2002. Shamim Osman already had fled the country sensing the party's defeat in the 2001 general elections, according to the statement.
“I had been organising the party for the past eight years while there was nobody to lead the activists. I succeeded in giving the party a solid base in the district,” said Akram.
Much to his shock, the Awami League nominated Jatiya party leader Nasim Osman to contest the 2008 election as an AL-led grand alliance candidate. “I felt humiliated. I was neither informed nor consulted while the decision was being made.”
“My loyalty and dedication to the party were not considered at all,” he said.
The most recent example is Sunday's Narayanganj City Corporation polls. Akram filed his nomination for the mayoral race along with his party colleagues Shamim and Ivy.
“I decided to stand in the election as my supporters demanded. The central leaders called Ivy and Osman to Dhaka to negotiate a settlement so that one of the two pulled out of the election. But they didn't even bother to call me to any discussion,” said Akram.
“I was taken aback when the party decided to back a controversial man like Shamim Osman. As I had to make a decision under the circumstances, I decided to support Ivy, an honest and eligible candidate,” Akram said. “And I withdrew my candidacy.”