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Moni Swapan Dewan

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Moni Swapan Dewan
𑄟𑄧𑄚𑄨𑄥𑄧𑄛𑄧𑄚𑄴 𑄘𑄬𑄃𑄮𑄠𑄚𑄴
Deputy Minister of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs
In office
10 October 2001 – 29 October 2006
Prime MinisterKhaleda Zia
Preceded byPost created
Succeeded byIftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury
Member of Parliament
In office
1 October 2001 – 29 October 2006
Preceded byDipankar Talukdar[1]
Succeeded byDipankar Talukdar[2]
ConstituencyRangamati
Personal details
Born (1954-05-18) 18 May 1954 (age 70)
Rangamati, East Bengal, Pakistan
NationalityBangladeshi
Political partyBangladesh Nationalist Party
ResidenceRangamati

Moni Swapan Dewan (born 18 May 1954) alias Major Rajesh is a Bangladesh Nationalist Party politician, ethnic Chakma, and a former member of parliament from the Chittagong Hill Tracts.[3][4] He is also the former deputy minister for Hill Tracts Affairs.[5]

He started his career as a guerilla leader for the Shanti Bahini, the armed wing of the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti.[6][7][8]

Career

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Moni Swapan was a member of the Shanti Bahini during the Chittagong Hill Tracts conflict and was known as Major Rajesh.[6] He is accused of committing a massacre of settler Bengalis in the Rangamati district in 1984.[7][6] Dewan denies the charges.[7]

Dewan was elected to parliament from Rangamati constituency as a candidate of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party beating the former member of parliament Dipankar Talukder of the Awami League.[9][10]

Dewan was appointed the deputy minister of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs in the 2001 to 2006 Bangladesh Nationalist Party government.[11] In 2003, he threatened to resign from the government alleging he was being ignored, there was corruption, and issues in the Chittagong Hill Tracts were not being resolved.[12] In 2004, the government restricted the usage of ministry funds by him to 25 percent of the allocated fund.[13] He called for the recognition of ethnic minority in the constitution of Bangladesh in 2006.[8] He tried to introduce bus services in his constituency but failed due to opposition from the Rangamati District Auto-rickshaw Sramik Union.[14] He inaugurated a solar power plant in Rangamati in 2006.[15] As member of parliament he received a plot of land in Dhaka from RAJUK.[16]

In November 2006, Dewan left the Bangladesh Nationalist Party to join the Liberal Democratic Party.[17]

References

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  1. ^ "List of 7th Parliament Members". Bangladesh Parliament. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014.
  2. ^ "List of 9th Parliament Members". Bangladesh Parliament. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019.
  3. ^ Mohsin, Amena (2003). The Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh: On the Difficult Road to Peace. Lynne Rienner Publishers. p. 119. ISBN 978-1-58826-138-0.
  4. ^ "Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh Makes Way to Khaleda's Cabinet". Xinhua News Agency. 10 October 2001. Retrieved 15 March 2023. Two out of six members of the minority community elected in the eighth parliament also made their way into the cabinet ... Moni swapan dewan, a buddhist from Southeastern Chittagong Hill Tracts was inducted as deputy minister
  5. ^ "Doubts over Bangladesh rebel accord". BBC News. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  6. ^ a b c "Horror still haunts survivors". Daily Sun. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  7. ^ a b c "Bhushanchhara genocide in Rangamati: No trial in 37yrs - City News". The Daily Observer. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Moni Swapan demands amendment of constitution to recognise linguistic minorities". bdnews24.com. 27 June 2006. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  9. ^ Chakma, Shantimoy (11 November 2008). "BNP candidate crisis in CHT". The Daily Star. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  10. ^ Chakma, Shantimoy; Rangamati (18 December 2008). "Rangamati may witness a triangular fight". The Daily Star. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  11. ^ Mohsin, Amena (2003). The Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh: On the Difficult Road to Peace. Lynne Rienner Publishers. p. 120. ISBN 978-1-58826-138-0.
  12. ^ Liton, Shakhawat (30 September 2003). "Moni Swapan threatens quit". The Daily Star. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  13. ^ "Govt stops grain ration to CHT hills people". The Daily Star. 14 June 2004. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  14. ^ "A town that has no town service bus". archive.thedailystar.net. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  15. ^ Chakma, Shantimoy (11 February 2008). "PWD solar power plant in Rangamati of no use". The Daily Star. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  16. ^ "MPs of BNP, Jamaat got 104 plots out of 115". The Daily Star. 9 June 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  17. ^ "LDP's Moni Swapan declares candidature from Rangamati". The Daily Star. 22 November 2006. Retrieved 23 September 2024.