MPs flay WB, Yunus [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

MPs flay WB, Yunus

Local February 13, 2017

Lawmakers from treasury and opposition benches on Sunday sought apology from the World Bank to the nation and prime minister Sheikh Hasina for bringing false allegation of conspiracy of corruption in the Padma Bridge Project in a bid to malign the government.
While talking on point of orders at parliament, they also demanded actions against individuals who had also alleged conspiracy of corruption in the project as a Canadian court on Friday cleared the government of the allegation.
The lawmakers lambasted the World Bank, local collaborators of the lending agency and vested quarters for about three hours before and after Magrib recess.
Law minister Anisul Huq and ruling lawmaker Dipu Moni both demanded that the World Bank, which withdrew funding for the bridge project over an alleged corruption attempt, should apologise to the nation and prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
Civil aviation and tourism minister Rashed Khan Menon, health minister Mohammad Nasim and Jaitya Samajtarik Dal lawmaker Moin Uddin Khan Badal all demanded that parliament should take a resolution condemning the acts of the World Bank.
Rashed Khan Menon said also proposed that the state should file a case against those individuals who had acted against the interest of Bangladesh.
Commerce minister Tofail Ahmed, senior treasury bench member Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, opposition Jatiya Party lawmakers Kazi Feroj Rashid, Zaiuddin Ahmed Bablu, Jatiya Samajtantrik dal lawmaker Moin Uddin Khan Badal and others on the point of orders termed these ‘aides’ as ‘enemy of state and nation who undermined the nation’s image by raising the corruption allegation in Padma bridge project, that was totally baseless’.
Mohammad Nasim, Anisul Huq, Matia Chowdhury and Dipu Moni claimed that Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus pulled the string from the behind to stop World Bank funding.
‘The allegation of grafts and subsequent case was baseless and filed on the basis of rumours,’ said Anisul Huq.
‘We knew there were no corruptions, so the Canadian court was compelled to provide such verdict,’ he said adding.
‘Finance minister should give them [World Bank] a protest note,’ Anisul proposed.
‘Bangabandhu’s grandson [Sajeeb Wazed Joy] made accurate statement that Dr Younus had made Hilary Clinton to pressurise the World Bank to file the case,’ he commented.
Tofail Ahmed said that there were some people in the country who parroted World Bank’s claim of corruption in the project. ‘They wanted to undermine the image of government; they are enemy of state. Proper actions should be taken against them,’ he added.
Matia Chowdhury alleged that Yunus ‘had played from behind’ over World Bank claim of corruption in the project.
‘As the World Bank raised the issue of corruption even knowing that there was no corruption in Padma Bridge, they [World Bank] are corrupt,’ Matia said.
Lambasting civil society members and Transparency International Bangladesh, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim said they publicised the matter widely. He demanded that WB would have to pay the additional cost.
Selim demanded actions against the intellectuals who talked in TV talk shows in favour of the false allegations of the WB.
Lambasting Yunus for his involvement in stopping WB funding and hatching conspiracy against the country, Selim called upon the finance and home ministers to take actions to find out the source of his huge wealth.
Mohammad Nasim demanded that parliamentary standing committee should summon Yunus, TIB and others who raised the false allegation.
Nasim also criticised Khaleda Zia for her comments that the WB had withdrawn due to corruption in the bridge project.
The allegation of corruption in the Padma project was intentional and faces of the collaborators of the WB should be unveiled, said Ziauddin Ahmed.
Kazi Feroz Rashid demanded immediate actions against those who went against the interest of the nation.