A group has risen up to tarnish the image of BNP from the beginning, said Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) Mayor Dr. Shahadat Hossain. He said, the way Bangladesh has been destroyed in the last 16 years, bringing them back and building a new Bangladesh is the biggest challenge and obstacle for us. The way the previous government has built an immoral society and state today; telling lies in words, committing mega corruption in the name of mega projects, committing lawlessness, destroying the rule of law, filing false and absentee cases, sending people to jail without any reason, creating a nuisance called teenage gangs, turning the police force into an Awami force, demoralizing and endangering people including the administration and executive department; removing them from these places and bringing them to a new, moral and correct path is now a big challenge for us. How can we get out of this situation, this is what we have to work on now.

He made these remarks as the chief guest at a roundtable discussion titled “Obstacles to Building a New Bangladesh” organized by Political Reporters Unity-PRU at Sultan Ahmed Auditorium of Chittagong Press Club in Jamalkhan on Monday (March 9).

Commenting on the ongoing misreporting, the mayor said, “Even if you do good work, you are still being negatively portrayed and have a negative impact.” These issues are embarrassing even for those who do proper journalism after leaving the yellow journals. It is not that we do not have problems, let them write. But it should be true and constructive. We need investment, not just to fill our stomachs. Chittagong still needs a lot of investment for infrastructural development. We have various problems including electricity, gas, water, and land. It is also very important for us to overcome these problems in building a new Bangladesh.

Dr. Shahadat said, their concern was how we could be given less budget. Today, we have resolved 50-60 percent of the waterlogging. But what was my budget? There was only a budget of Tk 20 crore. For a mega event like the waterlogging of the Chittagong City Corporation. A machine worth Tk 300 crore to clean the dirt – even that was not given. I fought repeatedly for this. The BNP mayor was not given for that. Today, BNP is coming to power through the people’s votes. There is nothing second here. BNP has come to power through the people’s election engineering. If anyone wants to question it in various ways, you have to be vigilant about it. These are the first obstacles in building a new Bangladesh. A group has risen to tarnish the image of BNP from the beginning.

Abu Sufian, the newly elected MP of Chittagong-9 constituency, was the special guest at the discussion meeting chaired by Hasan Mukul, convener of Political Reporters Unity-PRU, and Chintak and Jawan editor Rezaul Karim Rony was the main discussant. The event, conducted by PRU member secretary Imran Emir, was addressed as special guests by Chittagong Metropolitan BNP Joint Convener Yasin Chowdhury Liton, Chittagong Education Board Chairman Abdullah Al Mamun, young politician and industrialist Shahwaz Jamal Nizam Soni, and Port City University Journalism and Media Department Head Dilruba Akhter Renu.

Organizer Zahirul Islam Zahir, CTG Post Head of News Ishaat Mannan Tanim, Chittagong University Chhatra Dal General Secretary Abdullah Al Noman, JASAS Central Leader Najma Sayeed, Private University Chhatra Dal Central Joint General Secretary Dr. Iftekhar Amin, Nationalist Lawyers Forum leader Advocate Iqbal Hossain, Nationalist Young Engineers Association President Engineer Shahnewaz Chowdhury, July Movement victim Saifuddin Mohammad Emdad, Chittagong District Coordinator of Anti-Discrimination Student Movement Rizaur Rahman, spokesperson Fatema Khanam Liza, Shafiul Basar Samu.

Journalist Nazim Uddin, Share Biz Bureau Chief Nur Hossain Mamun, Aziza Haque Payel, Sakal Bela Bureau Chief Mohammad Ali, Touhidul Islam Touhid, Azim Anon, Sumon Chowdhury Farhad, Baki Billah Chowdhury, Eng. Nur Alam, Eng. Roni Barua, Sajjad Rohan, Sharif Uddin and others were present.

Speaking as a special guest, Abu Sufian said that corruption, discrimination and administrative complications must be eliminated to make the country’s development sustainable. In this regard, political parties and the media also have an important role.

Rezaul Karim Rony, editor of Chintak O Jaban, spoke as the main discussant. He said that strengthening political culture, moral leadership and institutional capacity is very important in building a new Bangladesh. For this, a relationship of trust must be built between the state, politics and civil society. Journalists, political figures, representatives of civil society and people from different classes and professions were present at the discussion meeting.