When a list surfaced for distributing public welfare grants to the truly “needy” from the Narail-2 MP’s discretionary fund, eagle-eyed observers noticed a peculiar trend.
A young woman named “Faiza” managed to snag two separate slots on the list, earmarked for Tk10,000 apiece.
As it turns out, Faiza is not just anyone. She is Nuzhat Tabassum Faiza, the daughter of Ataur Rahman Bachchu, the newly elected MP for the constituency.
To keep things suitably ambiguous, she was listed only by her nickname. Her father’s name was also creatively altered across the entries, appearing once as “Md Bachchu” and once as “Md Ataur.”
When TIMES of Bangladesh pressed for answers, MP Ataur pleaded “immaturity,” claiming that as a fresh face in parliament, he simply did not understand how the system worked.
His personal assistant was quicker with an excuse, blaming a local computer shop for making a “hasty mistake” while typing up the document.
The administrative flaw did not stop there. Out of the 21 names submitted to claim the three-and-a-half-month allocation of Tk1,83,500, nine shared the exact same vague address – Habokhola, Ward 1, Narail Sadar. Ataur’s home is in Konkhali village of Habukhali Union.
MPs command an annual Tk 5 lakh discretionary welfare fund. To receive that money, a list of names must be submitted to the parliament secretariat in advance.
Ataur’s constituency comprises Narail Sadar and Lohagara upazilas. Funding allocations revealed that the Sadar Upazila UNO’s office submitted a list of 10 individuals earmarked for Tk80,000, whilst the Lohagara UNO’s office recommended 11 people for Tk1,03,500. Faiza’s name appeared as both the first and eighth name on the Sadar Upazila’s and her father’s name was listed as Md Bachchu in the first entry and Md Ataur in the eighth. Furthermore, only one recipient had an address provided to the Chief Accounts Officer of the Parliament Secretariat, leaving the remaining 19 beneficiaries unidentified.
“I’m new, immature”
The MP initially avoided several phone calls. However, after receiving a follow-up text and a subsequent call an hour later, he finally answered, placing the blame squarely on his personal assistant, ASM Gofran. During the conversation, he pleaded ignorance, “Look, I didn’t understand that this would happen; I didn’t know.” “I have not yet matured, I have only become an MP. I don’t even know how the money will come.”
According to the MP, after taking his oath in February, his PS informed him that names needed to be submitted urgently for the voluntary fund.
Although the MP intended to consult local union and upazila leaders, the PS insisted there was no time and requested immediate names. “I said, give some familiar names. Then he gave my daughter’s name, he gave the names of many others,” the MP explained.
He admitted to signing blank official pads in Dhaka, which the PS later filled out and submitted. “I didn’t even inquire about it. The money came to the UNO office, I didn’t inquire.”
When questioned about his sudden lack of procedural knowledge, especially since he had transparently distributed Tk10 lakh during Ramadan and Tk20 lakh during Eid al-Adha using NID verification, the MP deflected blame back to his assistant.
He claimed, “There are no people there to take the money for those whose names I have given there,” asserting he would redirect the funds to others.
When asked if altering approved names was legally permissible, he claimed that decision was entirely up to him.
Regarding the controversial list, which included his PS’s cousin and neighbours, the MP confirmed he is taking action. “I am dismissing him. I have called a meeting on this.”
PS blames computer shop for errors
When questioned about how the “mistake” occurred, the MP’s personal assistant, ASM Gofran, claimed that extreme urgency was to blame.
After receiving a sudden request from the Parliament Secretariat to compile the list, Gofran outsourced the task due to a scheduling conflict.
He explained that he was out and short on time, so he called a computer shop and asked them to generate the list, which resulted in the errors.
However, when pressed on why the MP’s daughter was listed twice under two different father’s names, Bachchu” and “Ataur”, Gofran became defensive, replying, “It was a mistake. Is there anything more to say about this?”
He further claimed the list was simply routed from the Parliament Secretariat to the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) before being returned.
Narail Sadar UNO TM Rahsin Kabir did not respond to multiple calls, while Narail Deputy Commissioner Dr Mohammad Abdul Salam said he was entirely unaware of the matter, noting that the MP himself would have to explain.
This controversy closely mirrors a similar incident involving another Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker, MP Abul Kalam Azad of the Khulna-6 constituency.
Allegations recently surfaced regarding Azad’s allocation of Tk10 lakh from the relief and welfare fund ahead of Eid-ul-Adha.
An examination of the final list signed by the MP revealed blatant nepotism and political favoritism.
The top slot on the list belonged to Ahsan Habib, a wealthy businessman who is also the MP’s biological nephew.
Further down, the fifth beneficiary was discovered to be a well-off individual owning significant assets, land, and a solid brick house.
Additionally, the individuals listed at numbers six and ten were identified as Asmatullah and Mazaharul Islam, both of whom serve as local presidents for branches of the Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami.
