Morshed Alam | |
|---|---|
মোরশেদ আলম | |
| Member of Parliament | |
| In office 29 January 2014 –6 August 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Zainul Abdin Farroque |
| Constituency | Noakhali-2 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 29 March 1950 Noakhali,East Bengal,Dominion of Pakistan |
| Nationality | Bangladeshi |
| Political party | Bangladesh Awami League |
Morshed Alam (born 29 March 1950) is a Bangladeshi business magnate,politician,and a former Jatiya Sangsad member representing the Noakhali-2 constituency. [1] Alam is the chairperson of the Bengal Group. [2] Alam was the chairman of Mercantile Bank Limited. [3] He is the chairperson of RTV and vice chairman of Desh General Insurance Company Limited. [4] He is a director of United Hospital Limited and the National Life Insurance Company Limited. [5] He is a trustee board member of the Peoples University of Bangladesh. [6]
Alam was born on 29 March 1950. [7] He studied up to a Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC). [8]
In 1969,Alam founded Bengal Group,one of Bangladesh's largest plastic and manufacturing groups today. [9] He started with a single injection molding machine. [10] In 1992,he received the contract to supply plastic crates for both Pepsi and Coca-Cola. [10]
Alam's company,Bengal Plastic Industries Limited,was awarded Enterprise of the Year in 2007. [2] Its turnover that year was 35$ million. [2] In April 2010,he was elected chairman of Mercantile Bank Limited. [4] He was elected vice-chairman of the bank the following year. [5]
Alam was elected a member of parliament from Noakhali-2 in 2014 as a candidate of the Awami League unopposed in an election boycotted by all major political parties. [11] [8] He received a 36$ million investment from FMO (Netherlands) and the International Finance Corporation in the Bengal Group. [12]
He was reelected to parliament in 2018 from Noakhali-2 as a candidate of the Awami League. [13] He received 177,391 votes,while his nearest rival,Jainul Abedin Faruk of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party,received 26,169 votes. [13] He was elected chairman of Mercantile Bank in 2019. [6] He was one of the defendants in a lawsuit over the drama Indemnity,which allegedly portrayed Ziaur Rahman,former President of Bangladesh and founder of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party,negatively. [14] The drama focused on the controversial Indemnity Act and aired on various platforms,sparking protests from Bangladesh Nationalist Party supporters. [14] However,a Dhaka court dismissed the case against Morshed Alam and others,including Tarana Halim,President of Bangabandhu Sangskritik Jote and former minister,and actor Shaju Khadem. [14] He made a donation to the Prime Minister's Relief Fund in 2020 along with chairmen of other commercial banks. [15]
In 2021,Alam founded Bengal Commercial Bank led by his younger brother Jashim Uddin. [16] He was re-elected to Parliament in the 2024 general elections as a candidate of the Awami League. [17] He received 56,186 votes while his nearest rival,Ataur Rahman Bhuya Kanchi,received 52,863 votes. [17] [18]
After the fall of the Sheikh Hasina led Awami League government,Alam's factory,Bengal Plastic at Zirani,was burned down along with several businesses owned by Awami League supporters. [19] He was detained by the Detective Branch led by Rezaul Karim Mallick in April 2025. [20] He was sent to jail in a case over the death of Shamim,a school student,in protests against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in July 2024. [21]