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Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Ishraque Hossain has blamed local government adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain for the clash that broke out between two factions of the BNP-affiliated workers’ union on Tuesday. 

‘Some corrupt officials who are well known as close associates of the LGRD adviser led the planning and execution of yesterday’s attack. Although some of them claim affiliation with the BNP, they do not hold any official position in the party,’ Ishraque said while addressing a press conference at the National Press Club on Wednesday. 

‘The main instigator, Golam Kibria Rubel who is a Dhaka South City Corporation engineer, attempted to kill the protesters yesterday. He faces serious corruption allegations. Rumours abound at Nagar Bhaban that Rubel has turned out to be a hand for Asif’s plunder,’ he alleged. 

Golam Kibria Rubel was a leader of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, student organisation associated to the BNP)

Referring to local government adviser Asif’s claim in an interview with a private television channel that Ishraque ‘arrogantly and proudly rejected the government’s offer to become an administrator,’ Ishraque said that giving such a proposal to a legally elected public representative and politician was ‘humiliating.’

He said, ‘I had no intention to hold the DSCC mayor position under the interim government. At the advice of our party’s top leadership, we tried to establish the verdict against the illegally elected mayor Taposh (former DSCC mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Tapaosh) as a solid document and the symbol of victory of the rule of law.’

On his verified Facebook account, local government rural development and cooperative adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain wrote on Tuesday, ‘The clash between the two factions stems from an attempt to establish dominance over occupied Nagar Bhaban.’

‘Earlier, they locked the DSCC gates and claimed that Asif Mahmud shut down DSCC activities…even blaming Asif Mahmud for falling into trap of the movement provoked by certain individuals from your (Ishraque) own party ,’ the post read.  

On Tuesday, two groups—DSCC Sramik Karmachari Union rallying behind Ishraque, and Jatiyatabadi Sramik Karmachari Union, a workers’ body associated with BNP and known as anti-Ishraque—clashed at DSCC headquarters Nagar Bhaban, leaving at least 18 people injured, just a day after partial reopening of the officer following a shutdown since May 15 demanding Ishraque’s mayoral oath.

The offices of the administrator and the engineering division at Nagar Bhaban, however, remained closed as of Wednesday in line with the announcement made earlier by Ishraque supporters, said DSCC officials.