Sylhet BNP Acting President Labels Overzealous BNP Supporters as Opportunists and Accomplices

Rezaul Hasan Kayes Lodi, the acting president of Sylhet Metropolitan BNP, has stated that those who excessively proclaim their allegiance to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) are not genuine supporters but rather opportunists and accomplices seeking personal benefits. He remarked, “After August 5, everyone claims to be BNP. Those who overzealously chant BNP are not true BNP members; they are accomplices and opportunists trying to gather under the BNP flag for their own gains.”

He urged law enforcement to take immediate action to arrest such individuals whenever they are seen engaging in misconduct while claiming to represent BNP.

These comments were made during a public meeting and human chain organized on Friday (July 11) at Gopaltila Durga Temple in Sylhet’s Tilagarh area to protest the illegal occupation of Gopal Jiu Akhra’s land by Dipak Roy and his associates. The event was chaired by senior community leader Kanulal Chakraborty and jointly moderated by Palash Chakraborty, a member of the Gopal Jiu Akhra Management Committee, and Titu Mallick, joint convener of the district volunteer team.

In his keynote address, Sylhet Metropolitan BNP General Secretary Imdad Hossain Chowdhury spoke out against the land grab. Special guests included Sudip Ranjan Sen Bappu, a trustee of the Hindu Religious Welfare Trust and vice-president of Sylhet Metropolitan BNP, and Gopika Shyam Purkayastha Chayan, convener of the Gopaltila Land Grab Resistance Movement Committee and president of Sylhet District Puja Celebration Council.

Speakers at the human chain, held on the main road in front of the temple, demanded the recovery of the temple’s property from Dipak Roy Dipu and other land grabbers, along with their swift arrest and prosecution. They warned that failure to address the issue would lead to a robust movement on the streets involving people from all walks of life in Sylhet.

Expressing frustration, the speakers noted that despite informing the relevant authorities, no effective action had been taken. They highlighted that, despite a High Court injunction, Dipak Roy Dipu and others were illegally constructing structures on the temple’s land, flouting the law. The speakers demanded the immediate arrest of the culprits and the demolition of the illegal structures, urging the Sylhet district administration and police to act promptly.

Other speakers included Himadri Kar Purkayastha Sajal, general secretary of Gopal Jiu Akhra Management Committee; Lutfur Rahman Mohan, BNP’s forest and environment affairs secretary and president of Ward 20 BNP; Rajib De Raju, agriculture affairs secretary; Malay Dhar, joint secretary of Metropolitan Youth Wing; Sumon Chakraborty, joint convener of Metropolitan Projommo Dal; Jhalak Baidya, former joint secretary of Ward 2 BNP and member of the Metropolitan Volunteer Team; Ujjwal Ranjan Chand, former communications affairs secretary of Metropolitan BNP and public relations secretary of Sylhet District Puja Celebration Council; Roni Pal, co-general secretary of Metropolitan Student Wing; and Kanak Kanti Das, convener of Ward 16 Student Wing. Local residents Dulal Deb, Pabitra Debnath, and Sumon Datta also spoke, while Bishwajit Chakraborty recited from the Gita.