Unusual Letter Found in Shahjalal Shrine Donation Box Proposes SSC Requirement for BNP Membership
A letter proposing changes to the BNP's organisational rules has been found while counting money in the donation box of the Hazrat Shahjalal (R.) shrine in Sylhet. The discovery of such a letter during the counting of donated funds has sparked curiosity among local people.
The letter, addressed to Prime Minister and BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman, speaks of setting educational qualifications for becoming a member or activist of the party. Who wrote the letter, however, remains unknown.
The letter was found on Saturday (24 October) while counting money deposited in the shrine's donation box and collection pot. This was the fifth time the donated money has been counted publicly.
The letter proposes fixing SSC pass or GPA 2.5 as the requirement for becoming a BNP member, and HSC pass with GPA 3.5 for becoming an activist. It also says no one should be associated with the BNP before sitting the SSC examination.
The writer also described his own political experience in the letter. Mentioning that he joined politics in 2011 and later stepped away, he shared some of his expectations regarding the BNP's organisational structure and change.
Towards the end of the letter, a line written in English reads, "I want the change to come through you....." — in other words, the writer hopes the change will come through Tarique Rahman himself.
However, it is not known who the writer is, whether he is currently involved in BNP politics, or whether the proposals are part of any organisational initiative. The writer did not give his identity in the letter.
Alongside money and foreign currency, the shrine's donation box sometimes contains various applications and personal letters as well. But this time, the letter on the BNP's organisational rules, found during the counting of donations, drew particular attention.
Earlier, on 23 September, a meeting of the committee formed to bring transparency to the shrine's financial management decided how the donated money would be used. According to the decision of the committee led by Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir, 35 percent of the donated funds will be spent on the shrine's development work.
The remaining 65 percent will be used for daily expenses and for paying staff salaries and allowances. Those involved believe the public counting process is itself putting that transparency initiative into practice.
Although the letter has now become a talking point, there has been no reaction from any level of the party regarding its proposals. Where this anonymous letter ultimately ends up remains to be seen.
