The party here will hold a public meeting today in Kusumbagh area in the district town to protest the "audacious comments" made by Ilias Ali against Saifur.

Such public gatherings will also be held at all the seven-upazila headquarters simultaneously.

This was decided at a meeting of leaders of BNP and its front organisations from across the district, held at Moulvibazar Pourasava auditorium yesterday to discuss the situation following Saifur's threat.

The meeting expressed solidarity with Saifur and its resolve to take up programmes to desist him from resigning and compel the party high command to take action against Ilias Ali.

The meeting decided to put up barricades on roads and railway, observe strikes and hartals, and even go for hunger strike, if situation demands.

Fayzul Karim Moyun, Chairman of Moulvibazar Pourasava and general secretary of Moulvibazar district BNP presided over the meeting. Most of the prominent leaders attanded the meeting. They included former president of district BNP Abdul Khalique PP, vice presidents Mujibur Rahman, Sunil

Kumar Das, Md. Eusuf Ali, Dr. M A Ahad and Srimangal Poursabha Chairman Ahad Miah, Kulaura Pourasabha Chairman Kamal Ahmed Juned, Juri upazila BNP president Asad Uddin Batal and Baralekha BNP president Muhibur Rahman Faruque.

Former president of district BNP and former state minister Ebadur Rahman Chowdhury MP and MM Shaheen MP were not seen at the meeting. Comments of Ebadur Rahman Choudhury were not available.

Shaheen was elected as an independent candidate in the last election. He was Moulvibazar district BNP vice-president and its Kulaura unit president before the 2001 election. After his election, he had said that he is a follower of BNP politics and still led a faction of Kulaura BNP.

The BNP leaders in the meeting bitterly criticised Ilias Ali and demanded punishment to him for creating a rift in the party by his remarks against Saifur.

Seven members of Moulvibazar Chamber of Commerce and Industries (MCCI) in a statement yesterday criticised Ilias Ali for his "audacious" comments against Saifur and urged party chief Khaleda Zia to prevent the finance minister from resigning from the party.

Signatories to the statement are Emdadul Haque, Md. Eusuf Ali, Abdur Rakib, Bakshi Misbaur Rahman, Mujammel Haque Sharif, Abul Kalam and Abdul Mannan.

However, public in general of Moulvibazar are observing the situation with keen interest.

A non-political, but influential man in the town preferring anonymity said Saifur Rahman is a respectable person to the people of Moulvibazar. But he was wrong in involving himself in local politics in Sylhet. In the last election, Saifur was elected from two seatsone in Moulvibazar and the other in Sylhet city. He vacated the Moulvibazar seat.

As he is not a local man, party men in Sylhet may try to take advantage, he said.