Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has kicked-off the programme of distribution of blankets through public-representatives to the poor, helpless people to remove their plight during the cool winter.
However, local woman MP Advocate Adiba Anjum Mita has allegedly distributed those blankets among wealthy, well-off people. After receiving those blankets, many of those wealthy recipients mentioned they would rather use those blankets to spread on the floor of their house.
According to sources, on Wednesday (10 February) noon, the blankets supplied by the Prime Minister were being distributed by MP Adiba Anjum Mita at the office of Rajshahi Metropolitan Unit of Awami League. Those blankets are supplied to distribute among cold-hit, poor and disabled people but MP Mita distributed most of those blankets among ward Awami League leaders or among wealthy women. It is alleged, to flash the news that the blankets have actually been distributed among poor and the destitutes, MP Mita called a mentally retarded woman living in front of AL office for a long time and made a photo-session with her. She also directed her PS Raju to send the photograph and the video of distribution of blanket to that mentally-retarded woman in media.
Sources further mentioned, while receiving the blankets from the hands of Mita. some recipients' dress and appearance, by no way, seem to distressed, poor women. While asked whether they are eligible to receive the blankets, some blanket recipients managed to escape without answering the question while some others requesting annonimity said, they were not distressed or poor. They were rather receiving those blankets to spread those in the floors of their houses.
In this connection, Reserved seat MP Advocate Adiba Anjum Mita informed, ' We are trying to distribute the blankets among ultra-poor or helpless people. Earlier, I also distributed the blankets from the Prime Minister among helpless, distressed people. Today I distributed the blankets among ward level female leaders of AL so that they may distribute those among people of their locality.' She further mentioned, many recipients of the blankets informed, they would like to preserve those blankets as a token of memory from the Prime Minister.