News Desk: State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources and BNP`s acting Organizing Secretary for Khulna Division Aninda Islam Amit yesterday said relationships built on positions and status are not sustainable and can hinder collective development.
He made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at an Iftar party organised by the Jashore Journalists Forum at the Jatiya Press Club in the capital.
Jamaat-e-Islami MP from Jashore-6 Professor Muktar Ali was present as special guest. Amit said people often confine themselves within a particular circle after achieving success or becoming established.
"If we fail to move beyond that mindset, collective development will be obstructed. Relationships should remain permanent rather than changing with time. If ties are formed considering posts and positions, they do not last," he said.
Recalling his late father Tariqul Islam, a former minister as well as member of BNP`s standing committee, Amit shared an anecdote to illustrate his point.
He said his father had played a key role in securing a venue for the Jashore Zilla Samity when it was formed and used to be invited as the chief guest at its programmes. However, following a change in government, he was no longer invited, he said. "In 2001, when he became a minister again, he received invitations once more. At that time, my father remarked that invitations often depend on one`s position, not on relationships. Unless we come out of this mentality, progress will remain difficult," he added.
Highlighting the current opportunities for the greater Jashore region, Amit urged all, irrespective of political affiliation, to work together for development.
Upazila Chairman Sabira Nazmul Munni, Jashore Zilla Samity, Dhaka President and Deputy Commissioner Azharul Islam, senior journalists Harun Jamil, Mursalin Nomani, Touhidul Islam Mintu, SM Rashidul Islam, Professor Dr MA Rashid, Mohammad Lutfor Rahman, businessman Khairul Kabir Chanchal, NCP leader Khaled Saifullah Jewel, and several distinguished personalities and journalists from Jashore living in Dhaka. Convener of the Jashore Journalists Forum Mahmud Sohel chaired the event.