BNP MP Misti resigns, seat declared vacant
BNP reserved-seat lawmaker Ferdousi Ahmed Misti resigned from Parliament on Thursday, a day after Prime Minister and BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman reportedly instructed her to step down over allegations surrounding the attack, vandalism and looting at the Radda MCH-FP Centre in Mirpur.
Ferdousi met Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed at around 1:45pm and submitted her resignation. The Parliament Secretariat subsequently issued a gazette notification declaring her reserved seat vacant.
Ferdousi was elected as a BNP-nominated lawmaker to one of the 50 reserved seats for women in Parliament.
The reserved seats are distributed among political parties in proportion to the number of directly elected members they have in Parliament.
This time, 36 women were elected to reserved seats on BNP nominations. The gazette notification for the reserved-seat lawmakers was published on 30 April, and they took oath on 3 May. Ferdousi thus served as an MP for about five months.
A senior source at the Prime Minister’s Office said Tarique Rahman instructed Ferdousi to resign on Wednesday night.
She was also warned that stricter action could be taken against her if she did not step down promptly, the source said.
After meeting the Speaker on Thursday, however, Ferdousi gave a brief response to reporters.
“The Speaker called me, and I met him,” she said when asked about the meeting.
Asked whether she had submitted her resignation, she said, “Let there be an investigation.”
When asked whether she would resign, she replied, “Whatever decision the BNP takes will be followed.”
The Speaker’s office later said Hafiz Uddin Ahmed would speak to reporters in the afternoon.
Radda centre attack
According to BNP and government sources, the government has taken a firm position over the incident at the Radda MCH-FP Centre.
The prime minister has reportedly been seeking information about the incident, including who took part in the attack and vandalism, their political affiliations and who may have been behind it.
Sources familiar with the matter said information had also emerged about the alleged involvement of several people known to be close to Ferdousi.
A BNP policymaking-level source said the party’s top leadership was treating the incident seriously.
The source said the government was concerned by allegations that party leaders and activists were involved in the destruction and looting of a healthcare facility and an alleged attempt to take control of its land.
The source added that, following information about the alleged involvement of people close to Ferdousi, her political responsibility had also come under discussion.
Further action could be considered depending on the findings of the investigation, the source said.
People close to Ferdousi
A Prothom Alo investigation found information indicating that several people associated with local BNP politics were allegedly involved in the attack and vandalism at the Radda healthcare centre.
They include former Dhaka North City BNP member Mohammad Hanif Mia and former Dhaka North unit Jubo Dal member secretary Mostafa Jaglul Pasha. Sources familiar with the matter said both are locally known as people close to Ferdousi.
On 25 September, more than 200 masked people allegedly armed with locally made weapons looted and subsequently demolished the Radda MCH-FP Centre in Mirpur, Dhaka.
People associated with local BNP politics were also reportedly involved in the activities of Sammona Dokandar Samabaya Samity Limited, which came under scrutiny following the demolition of the Radda centre.
Ferdousi was the association’s president in 2006, when she was a commissioner representing Ward No. 8 of Shah Ali police station.
At the time, she signed an application submitted to the Housing and Public Works authorities seeking allocation of the land occupied by the Radda centre in the name of the association.
The allegations surrounding the Radda centre incident remain subject to investigation.
