Barisal BNP leader Sarfuddin admits to allowing extortion, bribing Khaleda Zia

S. Sarfuddin Ahmed Santu, a BNP candidate for Barisal-2 constituency and a member of the party’s central executive committee, has said that he has allowed the leaders and activists to do all kinds of extortion.

Speaking at the party meeting recently, he defended the extortion because the leaders and activists had not earned for 17 years.

A video of his speech has gone viral on social media. Neither the party nor the police have taken any action against Santu.

“No matter whether I am there or not, you should stay united. If our party does not come to power, you will not get anything. I allowed extortion on a small scale in the last year because my leaders and activists did not eat (earn) anything.”

Addressing the attendees, he said: “I have a policy…suppose you all are workers. If you are in good shape, I will be fine too. If you need anything, you will come to me.

“And if you have money, you will not come to me. You will stay well.”

Santu returned to Bangladesh after six years and became the president of the party’s Uzirpur Upazila committee.

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In another meeting of the Uzirpur-Banaripara BNP held in July, Santu said that he had given BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia Tk10 lakh to resume politics. Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan was the party’s secretary general at that time. Mosaddek Ali Falu knows about it, he added.

Addressing Khaleda Zia’s Adviser, Moazzem Hossain Alal, Santu said that he had given him Tk6 lakh to help him get a nomination. But he implicated Santu in cases.

Santu also slammed BNP leader Mujibor Rahman Sarwar for creating obstacles in his politics. “I took part in an election once, will do it again.”

Barisal District BNP Convener Abul Hossain Khan said that he was present in the program but did not notice the matter. “What Santu said was normal. He means that he is working for the party without any personal interest.”

District BNP Member Secretary Advocate Abul Kalam Shahin said: “He said these words out of emotion. However, it was not right to say these. Since there was no other competitor in the council, he won alone.”

Party’s stance

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Rahul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed has said that no corrupt, terrorist, tender-monger, or extortionist will be able to become a member of the party.

Speaking at a party meeting in Gazipur on Saturday, he said: “The BNP’s directive states that humble and polite personalities, teachers, farmers, workers, and hard-working ordinary people should be made members of BNP. The BNP is a large political party. Many will look for opportunities to join this party.”

Admitting to extortion by the party’s leaders and activists, acting chairman Tarique Rahman recently told BBC Bangla that actions have been taken against about 7,000 people.

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“But not all of these 7,000 people are involved in the allegations you made. There are many of them who are involved in other organisational issues. This is another issue.

“When we receive many such allegations, we investigate the allegations. After investigating, we found several issues.”

Tarique said that many of his leaders and workers had to stay away from their homes to evade arrest during the Awami League tenure.

He said: “Taking this opportunity, the dictatorship took over their businesses, shops, houses, lands, and ponds. When the dictatorship fled on August 5th [last year], those who had occupied them also fled immediately.

“Naturally, our leaders and activists went to reclaim their own legitimate property, ancestral property. Then again, some people spread the news that BNP people had gone to seize it – such incidents have happened a lot.

“That is why we have taken action from our position. However, I have a question here, which we have also asked publicly. Look, we are a political party. Some incidents have happened. We are not denying it.

“As much as we know, as much as we have found after investigation, when we get the truth, we take action. But policing is not our job. Policing is definitely not the job of political parties.

“Our question is, we have never told the government that it cannot catch so-and-so, it cannot catch that-and-so, it cannot do this or that. But we have never said that. Our point is why those whose job is to police are not doing their job. Why are they failing in their job is our question.”