Pirganj UNO in Controversy After Clapping at MP's Political Speech, Calls Himself a BNP Leader
A video has spread on social media showing Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Golam Rabbani Sardar of Pirganj, Thakurgaon, clapping during a political speech by a member of parliament. The conduct of a government official has sparked discussion and criticism.
Recently, Zahidur Rahman, MP for Thakurgaon-3, visited the Amtoli Shri Shri Durga Mandir in Sengao Union No. 9 of Pirganj Upazila. He delivered a speech there.
In his speech, the MP named current chairman Saidur Rahman as the BNP candidate for the upcoming Union Parishad election. He also called on those present to vote for him.
The MP said voters had elected him with the sheaf of paddy. In the upcoming Union Parishad election, current Union Chairman Saidur Rahman would again be the candidate from the BNP, he said, and called on everyone to elect him with their votes.
During the speech, which lasted more than two minutes, UNO Golam Rabbani Sardar, seated beside the MP, was seen clapping. In the video he was also seen applauding in support at various points of the speech.
After the video of a serving government official behaving this way spread, discussion and criticism began on social media. Questions arose about how appropriate it is for an administrative officer to openly support a political speech.
When asked about the matter, UNO Golam Rabbani Sardar told journalists by mobile phone to write that the UNO was on an election campaign with the MP. He said the UNO is now one of the BNP leaders of Pirganj.
Explaining his position, he further said whichever government is in power, whichever party's government it is, he is a leader of that party. In his words, he has a party and that party is the government party, and his ideology is the ideology of the government party.
He then told the journalist to clip that portion and publish it so that he would go viral across the country. He said, 'I want to be viral.' At the same time he said neither he, nor his secretary, his DC sir or his commissioner sir has the power to go beyond these things.
The UNO also said he is an administrative officer of the parishad. All work has to be done after asking the honourable MP. He also said he has a letter on the matter and offered to show it to the journalist.
Political leaders have raised questions about the UNO's conduct. Abu Sayem, general secretary of the Thakurgaon district branch of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), said it is incomprehensible how a government official can clap at an MP's political speech.
Abu Sayem said where the MP was announcing someone as the BNP chairman candidate for the upcoming Union Parishad election, the UNO was over-enthusiastically clapping first in support, which is in no way desirable.
The incident has now raised fresh questions about local politics and the neutrality of the administration. No reaction from the higher administration about the UNO's remarks and conduct was available as of the writing of this report.
