Dhaka, Jan 10 – The extraordinary war of words between the incumbent and immediate-past mayors of Dhaka South City Corporation continued to boil on Sunday, with Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh shrugging off his predecessor Sayeed Khokon remarks on his fitness for the office as unimportant.“It is his personal comment. It carries no importance,” Taposh said, when asked to comment on Khokon ‘s claim that Taposh wasn’t fit to hold the mayoral post.
Taposh was talking to reporters after paying his respects to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by placing a floral wreath at the foot of the mural depicting the Father of the Nation at what is now the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum in Dhanmandi’s RD 32. Taposh visited the museum on the occasion of Bangabandhu’s Homecoming Day.
“When someone says something out of personal animosity, I don’t think it’s appropriate to respond as someone holding a responsible post,” said Taposh, not once mentioning Sayeed Khokon by name.
In reply to a question from reporters over corruption allegations brought against him by Khokon, the current mayor said if anyone “accepts a bribe, does commission business, embezzles public money, misappropriates money while holding people hostage, or takes money from the people giving commitment, and does any of this using the influence of his/her government post, then it is corruption.”
Taposh said the allegations brought against him do not fall under any of the categories he himself defined. “What the allegations brought can in no way be an objective statement,” he said.
On Khokon’s claim that the city corporation is failing to pay its employees’ salaries, Taposh said, “It is a completely misleading and baseless remark.”
Later at a separate programme in Nagarbhaban, Taposh responded to Khokon’s specific allegation that he had transferred hundreds of crores in taka from the DSCC to Modhumoti Bank, which he owns.
Taposh said all private banks collect FDR (amanat) money from the government agencies in accordance with the guidelines of Bangladesh Bank and the government policies. Since Modhumoti Bank is a private bank, it collects FDR money from different government agencies and offices. So, there is nothing unlawful and corruption, he said. – UNB
