| Keeping factional clashes at bay, Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) leaders yesterday distributed around Tk 7 lakh among themselves as they received the money from a construction firm for tender rigging. However, fears of clashes centring on similar cases still prevail on the Dhaka University campus as the leaders expect to receive a share from Tk 21 lakh soon with regard to manipulation of two more tenders, BCL sources said. Most leaders from the central and DU committees received a share from Tk 7 lakh as they manipulated a tender for the Tk 1.34 crore construction work of a building in the Science Annex Building area in favour of a construction firm. Two former presidents of Zahurul Haque Hall unit and two joint secretaries, an assistant secretary and a vice-president of the central committee were involved in the tender negotiations, sources said. When contacted, a former president of Zahurul Haque Hall unit, an alleged manipulator, said, "Such incidents are very normal in politics. Only a session of negotiation took place. I have distributed the money among the leaders. It did not cause any harm to anybody." BCL joint secretary Md Jashim Uddin told The Daily Star, "The tender manipulators also offered me a sum of money, but I refused it as I do not believe in the politics of manipulation." "Our leader Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has ordered us not to be involved in tender manipulation like Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, but some of our leaders are tarnishing the image of BCL by resorting to such activities," he added. According to BCL sources, four tenders for the construction work involving about Tk 30 crore on the university campus were floated after the Awami League government assumed office. Of them, three tenders were manipulated by BCL men and the remaining one involving over Tk 24 crore by Jubo League men. |
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