National Citizen Party (NCP) lawmaker Hasnat Abdullah has questioned Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's “I Have a Plan” slogan following Daily Waadaa's investigation into government contracts worth 342 crore taka involving a Navy-run shipyard and a company owned by the health minister's relatives.
In a post on his verified Facebook page on Friday, the Cumilla-4 MP alleged that the health minister's nephew had secured a lucrative government contract through irregular means, referring to Waadaa's exclusive investigation published on Thursday.
Hasnat also linked the alleged irregularities to the government's Family Card programme. However, Waadaa's investigation did not establish any connection between the contracts and the Family Card scheme.
The investigation found that a Bangladesh Navy-run shipyard had secured a 320.71 crore taka government contract in August to supply Android tablets for a social welfare programme.
The following day, the shipyard signed a separate agreement outlining how the contract proceeds would be distributed among three private companies and itself.
Under the arrangement, the shipyard would retain 4% of the contract value regardless of profit or loss. A mobile phone company was allocated 179.25 crore taka to import tablet components, while the remaining proceeds, after taxes and other deductions, would go to Buraq Brake Limited.
Buraq Brake is owned by the nephew and niece of Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain Bakul.
The investigation raised questions about procurement procedures, the involvement of private intermediaries and the financial benefits allocated to the minister's relatives.
Reacting to the findings, Hasnat criticized the government's economic record and allegations involving politically connected families.
“There are no jobs in the country, no relief in the market, and no investment. All there is are allegations of corruption and irregularities against ministers and their family members,” he wrote.
He said relatives of influential figures were repeatedly being named in allegations involving public resources, whether they were ministers' sons, wives or brothers.
Hasnat also contrasted the prime minister's public calls for austerity with the allegations.
“On the one hand, the prime minister is advising the public to be frugal by telling stories about 150 taka lunches. On the other hand, allegations of corruption and irregularities worth thousands of crores of taka are emerging against ministers' families,” he wrote.
“The public is lectured on austerity, while powerful people's relatives face allegations of plundering state resources.”
He ended his post with a question directed at the prime minister's signature political slogan:
“Is this, then, ‘I Have a Plan’?”
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