BNP leader expelled in Patuakhali over illicit VGF rice sale audio scandal
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The Patuakhali district branch of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has expelled a local leader following the circulation of a controversial audio recording that allegedly documents an attempt to misappropriate government food aid. Haider Ali Sharif, who served as the convener of the party’s Ratanadi-Taltali union committee, has been stripped of his primary membership and all organizational positions effective immediately.
The scandal erupted after a telephone conversation between Sharif and the union parishad secretary, Allama Mostafa, went viral on social media platforms Monday evening. In the recording, Sharif is heard pressuring the administrative official to provide him with 10 sacks of VGF rice—part of a government food assistance program intended for impoverished fishermen ahead of Eid-ul-Adha.
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During the exchange, Sharif explicitly instructs the secretary to send the proceeds from the sale of the rice to his mobile banking account. When the secretary objects, citing the lack of any legal or administrative basis for such a demand, Sharif suggests selling the public aid—a move the official repeatedly refuses, asserting that there is no provision for the sale of government-allocated rations.
Addressing the controversy, Sharif claimed the audio was part of a smear campaign. He insisted that he had requested the rice for party workers rather than for personal gain, and characterized the recording as an act of bad faith by the union secretary. He has since announced plans to hold a press conference to contest the allegations.
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However, the local BNP leadership moved swiftly to distance the party from the incident. Altaf Khan, member secretary of the BNP’s Galachipa upazila unit, confirmed that an emergency meeting was held to review the evidence. Citing the explicit nature of the recording regarding the solicitation and sale of public assets, the party leadership concluded that Sharif’s actions warranted an immediate and permanent removal from his posts.
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