Suranjit quits in aftermath of bribery scam
Tuesday, 17 April 2012
FE Report
Railway Minister Suranjit Sengupta Monday resigned from his post following a scandal linked to 'bribed money', only four months after taking office.
The veteran Awami League leader took the decision amid fierce criticism from both the ruling party and the opposition after the alleged sleaze came to light.
The senior lawmaker from Sunamganj-2 constituency said he was resigning to set an example in the 40 years of the country's history shouldering the blame for all 'failures'.
The beleaguered former minister, well-known for his sharp tongue and rhetoric, denied accusations that the money, recovered from a vehicle at the gate of entrance to Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB) headquarters on the night of April 9, was connected with bribes from job-seekers applying for employment at the state-run Railway.
Instead, he said he had resigned to help 'bolster democracy'.
"Even though I was not linked to the unexpected incident, I am resigning to facilitate a fair and credible investigation into it," the railway minister told reporters at a crowded press briefing at the Rail Bhaban in the capital.
Mr. Suranjit went to office housed on the first floor of the Railway Building at about 12:45pm by a vehicle carrying the national flag, where dozens
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of journalists had been waiting since morning, getting unconfirmed reports about the minister's stepping down any time on the day.
The former minister expressed the hope that all the suspicions and confusions would be removed through his resignation, as most people, including those in the ruling party and the opposition, thought that the investigation process could be impaired if he did not step down.
"I'll not make any comment to anyone regarding the matter unless the crisis is resolved as it might affect the probe," Suranjit Sengupta said, adding that he would be right back in politics after proving himself 'transparent' and 'clean'.
"I took the bold decision for the sake of democracy as I don't have any intention to cling myself onto power," he said, while making an appeal to the people of the country not to say anything by involving the government and the ruling party with the scandal.
The former minister informed the newsmen that he had met with the Prime Minister last night at her official residence at Ganobhaban, where he expressed his eagerness to resign and the prime minister endorsed then his decision.
Mentioning various timely measures that were taken to bring discipline and dynamism to the railway department, he said as the guardian of the ministry, he had to bear the responsibility of the successes and failures of this parastatal.
"The truth will come out after the investigation," Suranjit said, brushing aside his direct or indirect involvement with the recovery of the 'money'.
The former minister, who looked depressed, left the office at about 3pm by the jeep pulling down the national flag.
He came under the agonising pressure after one of his close official aides and two railway officials were nabbed before BGB's Pilkhana headquarters with an amount of Taka 7.0 million kept in the car that was reportedly moving towards the Jigatola residence of the 'former' minister on the night of April 9.
After detention, the border guards freed them, except the driver, along with the money next morning following overnight grilling.
The officials are Railway Division (east zone) general manager Yusuf Ali Mridha and Government Railway Police (GRP, Dhaka zone) Commandant Enamul Haque. Both of them were temporarily suspended, while the former minister's APS Omar Faruq Talukder was sacked on Sunday. The ministry asked the Bangladesh Bank to freeze Faruq and his wife Marzia Farhana's bank accounts and requested the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to investigate all their transactions with different banks.
Suranjit, who was inducted into the cabinet on November 28 last year, is the fifth person to resign from the Cabinet since the country's independence.
Railway Minister Suranjit Sengupta Monday resigned from his post following a scandal linked to 'bribed money', only four months after taking office.
The veteran Awami League leader took the decision amid fierce criticism from both the ruling party and the opposition after the alleged sleaze came to light.
The senior lawmaker from Sunamganj-2 constituency said he was resigning to set an example in the 40 years of the country's history shouldering the blame for all 'failures'.
The beleaguered former minister, well-known for his sharp tongue and rhetoric, denied accusations that the money, recovered from a vehicle at the gate of entrance to Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB) headquarters on the night of April 9, was connected with bribes from job-seekers applying for employment at the state-run Railway.
Instead, he said he had resigned to help 'bolster democracy'.
"Even though I was not linked to the unexpected incident, I am resigning to facilitate a fair and credible investigation into it," the railway minister told reporters at a crowded press briefing at the Rail Bhaban in the capital.
Mr. Suranjit went to office housed on the first floor of the Railway Building at about 12:45pm by a vehicle carrying the national flag, where dozens
Continued to page 7 Col. 4
Continued from Page 1 col. 8
of journalists had been waiting since morning, getting unconfirmed reports about the minister's stepping down any time on the day.
The former minister expressed the hope that all the suspicions and confusions would be removed through his resignation, as most people, including those in the ruling party and the opposition, thought that the investigation process could be impaired if he did not step down.
"I'll not make any comment to anyone regarding the matter unless the crisis is resolved as it might affect the probe," Suranjit Sengupta said, adding that he would be right back in politics after proving himself 'transparent' and 'clean'.
"I took the bold decision for the sake of democracy as I don't have any intention to cling myself onto power," he said, while making an appeal to the people of the country not to say anything by involving the government and the ruling party with the scandal.
The former minister informed the newsmen that he had met with the Prime Minister last night at her official residence at Ganobhaban, where he expressed his eagerness to resign and the prime minister endorsed then his decision.
Mentioning various timely measures that were taken to bring discipline and dynamism to the railway department, he said as the guardian of the ministry, he had to bear the responsibility of the successes and failures of this parastatal.
"The truth will come out after the investigation," Suranjit said, brushing aside his direct or indirect involvement with the recovery of the 'money'.
The former minister, who looked depressed, left the office at about 3pm by the jeep pulling down the national flag.
He came under the agonising pressure after one of his close official aides and two railway officials were nabbed before BGB's Pilkhana headquarters with an amount of Taka 7.0 million kept in the car that was reportedly moving towards the Jigatola residence of the 'former' minister on the night of April 9.
After detention, the border guards freed them, except the driver, along with the money next morning following overnight grilling.
The officials are Railway Division (east zone) general manager Yusuf Ali Mridha and Government Railway Police (GRP, Dhaka zone) Commandant Enamul Haque. Both of them were temporarily suspended, while the former minister's APS Omar Faruq Talukder was sacked on Sunday. The ministry asked the Bangladesh Bank to freeze Faruq and his wife Marzia Farhana's bank accounts and requested the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to investigate all their transactions with different banks.
Suranjit, who was inducted into the cabinet on November 28 last year, is the fifth person to resign from the Cabinet since the country's independence.