Ministers blast HT Imam
Prime minister’s political adviser HT Imam’s recent remarks on the controversial January 5 general election on Monday drew fire from senior ministers. The ministers also blasted Imam for telling Chhatra League members at a function that they could leave their worries to him about getting entry into the civil service. Chairing the weekly cabinet meeting at the secretariat, prime minister Sheikh Hasina also expressed her annoyance over her adviser providing handle to BNP by raising fresh controversies regarding the one-sided January 5 election. A minister had drawn her attention to HT Imam’s remarks. Several ministers, notably Tofail Ahmed, Amir Hossain Amu, Obaidul Quader and Quamrul Islam blasted HT Imam, a bureaucrat-turned politician for cornering the Awami League-led government over the conduct of the controversial general election, a minister told New age. ‘Sit for the BCS, we will take care of’ the rest,’ HT Imam, assured the activists of Chhatra League while addressing them at a function on November 12.
He told them, ‘Whenever I take anyone’s bio-data to the prime minister or request her to give someone a job, she asks whether the person was involved in Chhatra League politics and also about his or her contribution to politics. ‘We will see how much we can help you with the viva voce. Our leader (Sheikh Hasina) has told us to arrange jobs for you by any means.’ Imam also spoke about the advantages of having party men in the administration, and how the ruling AL benefited from them. Days before the January 5 election, he said, many pro-AL officers were inducted into mobile courts that helped the government resist the BNP-Jamaat bid to thwart the election.
He also said that they did everything taking the risks of their lives. Sheikh Hasina, also AL president, told the cabinet that she did even did not receive phone calls from HT Imam. She also said that she refused to give Imam an appointment he sought to explain his remarks that drew severe criticism from all quarters including the press and the ruling party. A minister quoted the PM as telling the cabinet that HT Imam got his son Tanveer Imam, elected as a Member of Parliament from Siranganj 4 constituency, who was recently made upazila AL secretary. ‘What more does he want?’ the visibly annoyed PM wanted to know. In an oblique reference to what HT Imam said, the prime minister in an apparent note of clarification said none should try to take credit for the January 5 election since the people cast their votes ignoring violence. ‘Basically, all the departments had their contributions to the election,’ she observed. Outside the cabinet, leaders of AL were also annoyed at the remarks of HT Imam and demanded his removal from the post. AL policymakers said Imam’s remarks had tarnished the image of the government and gave the chance to the opposition parties to criticise the government.
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