Tangail, Mar 08 (V7N) -  A press conference was held in Kalihati, Tangail, protesting the withdrawal of the expulsion order of Jubo Dal leader Rafiqul Islam Rafiq and condemning the spread of false news against him. The event took place at the Upazila BNP office on Saturday (March 8) at 11 am.

At the press conference, Rafiq denied any involvement in the alleged vandalism of the Kalihati Press Club and dismissed reports as false and politically motivated. He stated that no such incident occurred and accused certain journalists of engaging in "yellow journalism" under the influence of the Awami League. He clarified that the restructuring of the Kalihati Press Club was solely an internal matter among journalists and had nothing to do with him or his party.

Rafiq also strongly protested his expulsion from the Jubo Dal on March 3, claiming that no valid reason or evidence had been provided for the decision. He emphasized that no untoward incident had occurred under his watch and that local BNP leaders and activists were outraged by the expulsion order. He further mentioned that he had already resigned from the Kalihati Upazila Jubo Dal in 2022, submitting his resignation to the district committee due to dissatisfaction with the party’s internal structure.

Defending his family's political legacy, Rafiq pointed out that his father, Md. Ali Akbar Jabbar, was a three-time elected mayor of Kalihati Municipality and a two-time chairman of the Union Parishad. He alleged that those spreading false propaganda against him were aligned with the Awami League and accused Benazir Ahmed Tito of orchestrating his expulsion. He labeled Tito as an "Awami agent" who influenced BNP’s central leadership to engineer the expulsion in an attempt to weaken Kalihati BNP.

Rafiq urged the central Jubo Dal to launch a proper investigation into the matter and take corrective action. He stressed that his expulsion was the result of internal factionalism rather than any wrongdoing on his part. He appealed for party unity and protection from politically motivated attacks.

The press conference was attended by several former and current BNP-affiliated leaders, including Md. Firoz Mia, Abu Baijid Khan, Shahidur Rashid, Rashedul Islam Ratan, Yamin, Bellal Hossain, Shahin, Bashed, Asadur Rahman, Shafiqul Islam Shafi, SM Enamul Haque, and Selim Reza, among others.

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