Staff Reporter:
National Citizen Party (NCP) spokesperson Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain received Tk15 crore from Cumilla Zila Parishad’s revenue funds during his tenure as an adviser to the interim government, Zila Parishad Administrator Md Mostak Mia said on Saturday.
He also alleged that NCP Chief Organiser (Southern Region) Hasnat Abdullah took Tk10 crore from the revenue funds.
Mostak Mia made the remarks while addressing a discussion meeting and doa mahfil held at Cumilla Shilpakala Academy on the 45th death anniversary of BNP founder and former president Ziaur Rahman.
The programme was organised by the BNP’s Cumilla south district and city units. Mostak Mia also serves as the BNP Cumilla divisional joint organising secretary.
In his speech, Mostak said, “Asif Mahmud from Muradnagar took Tk15 crore from our own revenue funds, while Hasnat Abdullah took Tk10 crore. This is the state of coordination. Although they advocated for discrimination-free, coordinated politics in Bangladesh, there was no such coordination among them.”
Later in the day, the administrator told the media that he did not mean Asif and Hasnat had personally taken the money.
He clarified that both of them had secured a large share of funds for their respective upazilas under the name of special or development allocations, thereby depriving other upazilas.
“Since both Asif Mahmud and Hasnat Abdullah were involved in the anti-discrimination student movement, they secured special allocations and deprived the remaining upazilas during the interim government.”
Mostak added, “In that fiscal year (2024-25), the other upazilas in the district did not receive any meaningful allocation. That was what I intended to convey.”
Zila Parishad accounts department sources said that in FY2024-25, the special allocations were directed to Muradnagar and Debidwar upazilas, while Asif and Hasnat hail from Muradnagar and Debidwar, respectively.
In the same fiscal year, around Tk1 crore was allocated to Chauddagram upazila. Other than that, most of the 17 upazilas in the district did not receive significant allocations, they said.
