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Hold local govt polls before parliamentary election

Speakers demand at BUPOJ meet

Staff Correspondent
Union parishad (UP) chairmen and members at a meeting yesterday demanded holding of upazila and union parishad polls before the parliament election to make them free from the influence ol lawmakers.
They said they want to get rid of the lawmakers and hinted that political government might not hold UP election once they are elected.
fhe UP chairmen also urged the political parties to accept their demand saying that the UP election will not hinder the electoral roadmap.
The regional meeting was organised jointly by Bangladesh Union Parishad Oikya Jote (BUPOJ) comprising Bangladesh Union Parishad Forum, Union Parishad Advocacy Group and Bangladesh Union Parishad Members Organisation at the Engineers' Institute in thecapital.
The meeting, which was organised to ensure democracy at field level and to place their 12-point demand in this regard, was attended by some 1300 UP chairmen and members.
The speakers said local government bodies are the 'pillar of democracy' but these are not functioning properly due to interfer erfte by lawmakers and governmentofficials.
They urged the government to empower local government bodies saying that it will help reduce corruption and increase development at grassroots level.
They said the political parties are against the holding of UP election before the national election, as they fear to lose control over UP members and chairmen.
Addressing the meeting as chief guest, Commerce Adviser Hossein Zillur Rahman said local government bodies would have to be strengthened to accelerate social and economic development of the country.
He said the government has formed a local government commission to strengthen the local government bodies.
Inaugurating the meeting Lt Gen (retd) Mir Shawkat Ali, a liberation war veteran, said local gov-ernment election should be held immediately.
He said it is the UP chairmen and members who can control the politics of the country and not the government.
Former lawmaker of Jatiya Party G M Quader said past political governments did not take any initiative to empower the local government bodies..
He also said local government polls before the national election will not hinder the roadmap.
Former minister and BUPOJ Coordinator Golam Sarwar Milon, Upazila Chairman Association President Fakhrui Islam Munshi, Chairman of public administration department at Dhaka University Prof Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah, President of Bangladesh Union Parishad Chairman Association Mir Enayet Hossein Montu, and BUPOJ Chairman Mahbubur Rahman Tulu also addressed the meeting.
Earlier, the BUPOJ organised such meetings in 10 areas of the country and yesterday's meeting was the last one.