| Dhaka, Mar17 (bdnews24.com)—BNP standing committee member Chowdhury Tanbir Ahmed Siddiky has been stripped of his party membership, policymakers decided Tuesday.
"He has been relieved of all party posts, including standing committee membership and primary membership," said office secretary Rizvi Ahmed emerging around 10pm in the middle of a meeting.
"The decision was made in line with the party constitution," he said.
The party's highest policy-making body, convened Tuesday evening to decide the fate of the senior BNP figure, embroiled in controversy centering on his son's allegation against party chairperson Khaleda Zia.
The meeting, chaired by Khaleda at her Gulshan office, began just after 7pm and was still going on at 10pm.
Tanbir has insisted that the charge his son made against the chairperson was false and baseless.
He told bdnews24.com earlier in the day: "I am upset. Such a statement tarnished the party's image. I condemned the statement."
Son's allegation
In a press conference on Mar 9, in the presence of his father, Irad Ahmed Siddiky alleged that BNP chief Khaleda Zia had sought Tk 5 crore from him in return for the Dhaka mayoral ticket from the party.
Irad called incumbent mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka, and former mayors BNP's Mirza Abbas and AL's Mohammad Hanif "all corrupt", who "failed to deliver".
He also called the BNP chairperson's adviser, ASM Hannan Shah, the "'bastard' child of democracy".
He said none among Khoka, Abbas, Hannan and former FBCCI chief Abdul Awal Mintoo—likely BNP picks for the mayor race—was acceptable.
Hannan Shah last Sunday filed a Tk 50 crore defamation suit against Irad.
The allegations also sparked grievances among party leaders and activists, who have demanded Tanbir's expulsion. Party supporters have also burnt effigies of Tanbir and Irad in demonstrations.
BNP notice to father
The standing committee in a meeting on Mar 10 had given Tanbir 72 hours to explain why any action should not be taken against him, in line with the party constitution, for breaching discipline.
Tanbir replied to the show cause notice last Friday that was placed in Tuesday's meeting, said BNP joint secretary general Nazrul Islam Khan.
"I explained all in my written statement," Tanbir told bdnews24.com.
Irad gets bail
Meanwhile, the High Court granted Irad two-month anticipatory bail Tuesday in the defamation case filed by Hannan Shah.
Irad surrendered to the court just after 2pm, after an arrest warrant was issued against him on Sunday in connection with the case.
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