Razzak Ali will not return to BNP

Former speaker Sheikh Razzak Ali has said he has no intention to go back to BNP as he was compelled to quit the party.

“I was compelled to leave BNP due to intra-party squabbles in Khulna BNP”.

But there is a chance of forming an alliance between BNP and Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), he said while talking to this correspondent yesterday. Razzak Ali joined LDP on October 26, 2006 in Dhaka

Sheikh Razzak Ali said that he had to quit BNP with a 'heavy heart' to get rid of sharp intra-party squabbles in Khulna and also at its central level.

There has been speculation in Khulna for last few days that Razzak Ali would join BNP on request from Begum Khaleda Zia.

Sheikh Razzak Ali while denying any such contact with Begum Zia regarding his going back to the party did not rule out possibility of an a electoral alliance with BNP.

Sources said both factions of Khulna BNP have been trying to convince Razzak Ali to come back to BNP.

“We will congratulate him if he returns to BNP”, said prominent party leader and ex-lawmaker M Nurul Islam Dadu. Dadu also recalled Razzak Ali's contributions as central leader of BNP since its birth in 1977.

Leader of another faction of Khulna BNP Shaharuzzaman Mortuza said that strong lobbying is going on to take Razzak Ali back to BNP to fill in the leadership gap in Khulna and also at the central level after one-eleven changeover in the country.

“We hope the founder member will come back”, Martuza said.

Sheikh Razzak Ali was elected a member of Jatiya Sangsad first in 1979 from Khulna-6 and twice from Khulna-2 constituency in 1991 and 1996. He was speaker of Jatiya Sangsad from 1991 to 1996.

Sheikh Razzak Ali also served as Bangladesh High Commissioner to Britain for about two years. Distance between him and BNP high command widened as he was not given nomination from any of the six constituencies in Khulna in 2001 general election.

The gap widened further after he filed nomination paper from Khulna-2 constituency as an independent candidate to contest against BNP chairperson Begum Zia. He however withdrew his nomination paper under pressure from local and central BNP leaders.

Begum Zia was elected lawmaker from Khulna-2 seat winning a landslide victory against her nearest rival slain advocate Manjural Imam of Khulna Awami League.

Later, Ali Asgar Lobi was elected unopposed in bye-election as the seat fell vacant after Begum Zia relinquished it.