Moni Swapan Dewan | |
|---|---|
𑄟𑄧𑄚𑄨𑄥𑄧𑄛𑄧𑄚𑄴 𑄘𑄬𑄃𑄮𑄠𑄚𑄴 | |
| Deputy Minister of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs | |
| In office 10 October 2001 –29 October 2006 | |
| Prime Minister | Khaleda Zia |
| Preceded by | Post created |
| Succeeded by | Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury |
| Member of Parliament | |
| In office 1 October 2001 –29 October 2006 | |
| Preceded by | Dipankar Talukdar [1] |
| Succeeded by | Dipankar Talukdar [2] |
| Constituency | Rangamati |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 18 May 1954 Rangamati,East Bengal,Pakistan |
| Nationality | Bangladeshi |
| Political party | Bangladesh Nationalist Party |
| Residence | Rangamati |
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]
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]
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