State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives Mir Shahe Alam on Thursday said he should be given time to prove his capability, warning that being targeted from the very beginning will prevent him from contributing to state affairs.
“I have risen from the grassroots and deserve an opportunity to demonstrate my ability,” he said while speaking at a dialogue organised by the Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum (BSRF) at the Secretariat.
"We have just started working. People should first see whether we are capable of delivering. If I am pushed or targeted from the outset, then I will not be able to utilise the talent that Almighty Allah has given me in serving the state or my ministry," the state minister said.
Referring to discussions over educational institutions named after him, Shahe Alam said he had established the institutions over nearly three decades using his own and inherited property, long before assuming ministerial office.
He said he founded a primary school in his village in 1997, Mir Shahe Alam Technical School and College in 2003, and agricultural and fisheries colleges, a madrasah, a veterinary school and several colleges in Bogura under his name.
According to the state minister, most of the institutions did not receive Monthly Pay Order (MPO) benefits during previous years because of his political affiliation with the BNP, leaving teachers without salaries for a long period.
He also defended his role in creating Mokamtala upazila, saying it fulfilled a long-standing demand of local residents.
Shahe Alam said he also oversaw the creation of four new unions, adding that the names of three unions were later changed following discussions with the Prime Minister in line with public opinion.
Rejecting the claim that he is a friend of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, he described him as "an ordinary worker” of the BNP.
Some media reports referred to him as Tarique Rahman's friend in stories alleging corruption or a sharp increase in his wealth, the state minister said.
Explaining his relationship with the Prime Minister, he said Tarique Rahman grew up and studied in Dhaka, while he was born, raised and educated in Bogura's Shibganj. "My political interaction with him began around 1993-94 after I became secretary of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal and he started visiting Bogura regularly," he said.
Shahe Alam said as an elected public representative from Bogura and a BNP leader in the district, he met Tarique Rahman on numerous occasions because Bogura is the BNP leader's home district. "Naturally, he knows us, shows us affection and offers advice from time to time," he said.
He also noted the significant age difference between them and appealed to journalists to refrain from describing him as Tarique Rahman's friend.
Responding to media reports regarding his wealth, the state minister said all details of his assets were disclosed in his election affidavit, alleging that some reports presented selective information.
He said references to a small portion of his land, while ignoring the full declaration, created a misleading impression that his assets increased sharply after he assumed office.
Shahe Alam acknowledged that land was purchased after he took the ministerial post, but said the acquisitions were made in the names of his companies and foundation for industrial investment rather than personal ownership.
He said the National Board of Revenue (NBR) was free to investigate the sources of his income and verify whether all transactions were lawful.
Referring to criticism over appointments of family members of politicians to the Bangladesh Cricket Board, the state minister said his son resigned from the board at his request immediately after criticism emerged, despite being elected unopposed.
He said politicians' families often face criticism regardless of whether they are in government or opposition, discouraging educated young people from contributing to public life.
Shahe Alam also said he enjoyed a good working relationship with LGRD and Co-operatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, adding that no major decision in the ministry was taken without consultation and that all files required the minister’s final approval.
On local government elections, he said allocations were kept in the current budget for polls at all five tiers of local government and the Election Commission has already begun preliminary preparations.
The state minister said holding free, fair, impartial and credible local government elections, alongside implementing the national budget, will be a major challenge for the government in the coming months.
The dialogue was chaired by BSRF President Masudul Hoque and moderated by its General Secretary Ubaidullah Badal.