About 3000 BNP leaders and activists in Netrakona district will join the newly formed Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) led by dissident BNP leaders Prof Badrudozza Chowhury and Col. (Rtd) Oli Ahmed, renegade party leader and former lawmaker MA Karim Abbasi told this correspondent yesterday.

Abbasi, who was president of Netrakona BNP and a party Whip in the Jatiya Sangsad, joined LDP recently.

Abbasi claimed that the BNP leaders and activists will to leave the party and join LDP because of frustration and alleged corruption by men of former state minister for home Lutfuzzaman Babor.

Many dedicated BNP leaders in Netrakona are frustrated as they were ignored and elbowed aside by those who joined the party from Jatiya Party (Ershad),Abbasi alleged.

Those who will join LDP will include a senior vice-president and a former general secretary of

Netrakona district BNP and a former party lawmaker from Netrakona Sadar upazila, Abbasi claimed.

Several front ranking BNP leaders at upazila level will follow them. They include BNP president of a upazila unit and two vicepresidents of two upazila units including one from Madan upazila, Babar's constituency, the former BNP lawmaker claimed.

He declined to name the leaders

but said they will join LDP within a week.

It is yet to be decided where and how they will join the new party, he said.

Abbasi said that in last five years, newcomers in BNP from Jatiya Party came to leadership at different upazilas. They earned huge amounts of money through corruption under the protection of some influential BNP leaders, he alleged.

Abbasi also alleged that after he joined LDP, BNP activists attacked houses and business centres of his followers in different upazilas. About 200 houses and business centers of his followers were attacked in which at least 50 people were injured in different areas of the district, he claimed.

This correspondent also talked to some followers of Abbasi who have decided to join LDP. Seeking anonymity, they said, after joining LDP, they will form a district convening committee of the party but declined to speculate on who would be the convener.

Abbasi and some of his follow-

ers also brought allegations of corruption by men of Babar.

Babar's men took graft from people in recruitment in police department. A APS of the former state minister and a district BNP leader realised money from job seekers for recruitment in police department, they claimed.

Besides, corruption by a section of local BNP leaders in implementing development projects defamed the party and frustrated dedicated leaders and workers, they claimed.

Some families of a minority community were also harassed and repressed by some BNP men in Mada, Mohongonj and Khaliajuri upazilas during last five years but they did not get justice and proper actin by law enforcers, they claimed. Many minority family left their native villages and took shelter in others upazilas, they said.

This corespondent repeatedly tried to contact Lutfuzzaman Babor on cell phone but his aide (former APS) said he would not talk to any newsman now.