The Business Standard 5 May 2021
The Bashundhara Group-owned newspapers and electronic media have been publishing allegedly fabricated news to humiliate Awami League’s Parliament Whip Shamsul Haque Chowdhury for the last few days
The Patiya Upazila Awami League in Chattogram has protested at the recent news reports involving Awami League’s Parliament whip Shamsul Haque Chowdhury and his family in different newspapers, and online and electronic media outlets owned by the Bashundhara Group.
The Bashundhara Group-owned newspapers and electronic media have been publishing fabricated news to humiliate the public representative for the last few days, said Patiya Upazila Unit Awami League President AKM Shamsuzzaman Chowdhury at a press conference at the Bangabandhu Hall of Chattogram Press Club on Tuesday.
In a written statement, Shamsuzzaman said, “The Bashundhara Group’s newspaper said ‘Awami League is not faring well under the rule of whip,’ and made allegations of extortion. But today all the leaders of the upazila Awami League and the chairmen of the union parishads are present in this hall. If there is something in Patiya like the things alleged by the media, why did we not know? Why are the names of the persons quoted in the news not published? This proves that they made up these blatantly false stories.”
Shamsuzzaman further said, “If there is any allegation of irregularity against Whip Shamsul or his son, it is a matter of the Awami League’s own forum. It is not the newspaper’s job to broadcast it. Their sinister plan to dominate the whip and his son needs to be investigated. We think it is a conspiracy.”
“They have a media and they are using it as a weapon to humiliate others. If the media is the medium of such false propaganda of a group, then the people will lose confidence in the media,” said Shamsuzzaman.
Addressing the Bashundhara Group, he said, “I request you to come out of such unethical journalism in future.”
Chattogram South District Unit Awami League Vice-president and Patiya upazila Chairman Motaherul Islam Chowdhury said, “Shamsul Haque has been elected a member of parliament from Patiya three times with the party symbol of Awami League. Then why the Awami League cannot defend the injustice being done to him? We are with him in protesting this injustice.”
Chattogram South District Unit Awami League Joint Secretary Rashed Monwar, Health Secretary Dr Timir Baran Chowdhury, Panel Chairman of Chattogram District Council Debabrata Das and others were also present at the press conference.
