External: BNP sacks Hena for anti-militant talk

[Fazal]

Staff Correspondent - The Daily Star

The ruling BNP yesterday expelled its lawmaker Abu Hena from the party for his remarks against the rise of Islamist militants under the direct patronage of a section of the party and the government, terming his statement anti-organisational.

The outspoken lawmaker from Rajshahi who recently in separate interviews with the media blamed a section of his party colleagues for patronising the Islamist militants however will not lose his membership in parliament.

"Abu Hena is now an independent lawmaker. There is no possibility of losing his parliament membership as he did not violate party's decision or cast vote against the party," Speaker Jamiruddin Sircar told journalists at his office, explaining the constitutional provision.

A BNP press release yesterday evening said BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has expelled Abu Hena, a lawmaker from Rajshahi-3, from the party and cancelled his primary membership for violating party discipline and tarnishing its image.

In his instant reaction to the party decision, Abu Hena said the expulsion proved that the government and the BNP want to establish the rule of militants in the country. "The leaders who support the rise of militants have expelled me from the party," he said.

Sources said the BNP chairperson and prime minister took the decision to axe Abu Hena from the party in an apparent bid to defuse the grievances of its alliance partner Jamaat-e-Islami, which is blamed for its alleged link to the militants.

The BNP chief called party General Secretary Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan a couple of days ago to her office and discussed the issue relating to Hena's comments.

Yesterday, the PM summoned Post and Telecommunications Minister Barrister Aminul Haq, who is also the minister in charge of Rajshahi and Naogaon districts, to her office and asked for his opinion about Hena's allegations against him.

The BNP policymakers did not discuss the issue in a formal meeting but the party chairperson was learnt to have talked to a number of senior leaders about the issue. The leaders reportedly suggested taking drastic action against Hena.

The top leaders of BNP told the party chief that if the high-command goes lenient about the issue now, the party may face further dissidence in future.

Party insiders said BNP expelled Abu Hena under the pressure of Jamaat-e-Islami as the lawmaker has annoyed the Islamist party through his remarks.

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[Fazal]

Another one from The Daily Star.....

Expelled from the ruling BNP for his recent statements against religious militancy, lawmaker Abu Hena said the decision to expel him proves that the ruling alliance is dedicated to bringing about militants' rule in the country.

"I did not hold the entire government or the party responsible for the rise of militancy. Neither did I blame Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. I rather blamed a section of the government and the party for patronising the militants. But now I must say that through my expulsion the ruling alliance has exposed its role in the proliferation of militants in the country," Abu Hena told The Daily Star last night.
.......
bu Hena said besides Jamaat-e-Islami, another component of the ruling coalition Islami Oikya Jote might as well be patronising the militants.

"The two ministers of Jamaat and Jamaat's man in the BNP Post and Telecommunications Minister Aminul Haque are doing everything for the militants," he said.

Referring to the rise of militants in his constituency in Rajshahi, Abu Hena said the post and telecommunications minister and the then superintendent of police extended all-out help in establishing dreaded killer and Jagrata Muslim Janata, Bangladesh leader Bangla Bhai.

"I informed on several occasions the government high-ups about it. I even informed the prime minister of the alarming developments," Hena said, adding, "But they did not care."

That is how the Frankenstein was created and holding sway over the country from Rajshahi, he observed.
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Edited on, November 24, 2005, 9:13 PM GMT, by Fazal.