Fertiliser dealer list sparks questions in Pirgachha 

Questions have arisen over the transparency of fertiliser dealer appointments in Pirgachha upazila of Rangpur after a 19-name list, allegedly bearing the signature and seal of the upazila BNP president, surfaced.

Titled “Dealer Appointment-2026”, the list was prepared on BNP letterhead and dated August 17, 2026. It carries the signature, seal and mobile number of Pirgachha BNP President Aminul Islam Ranga. But Ranga and local administration officials said they neither submitted nor received the list through the official process.

The list names three candidates each from Tambulpur and Pirgachha Sadar unions, one from Kandi and two each from Kalyani, Parul, Kaikuri, Chhaola, Itakumari and Annadanagar.

Local inquiries and the document indicate that several candidates are wives, children or relatives of BNP leaders. It also includes people locally identified as having links to the Awami League, Jamaat-e-Islami and Jatiya Party.

In Tambulpur, one candidate is Sweety Begum, wife of BNP General Secretary Shariful Islam Dales. Another is reportedly the son of a former ward Awami League president, while Jahedul Islam is locally identified as a Jamaat activist.

The Pirgachha Sadar list includes Sultana Ferdousi, wife of BNP President Ranga. Amir Hossain, described locally as a Jatiya Party activist close to upazila party president Mahbubur Rahman, is also named. Another candidate, Nazmul Huda, is locally known as an associate of Ranga.

Other candidates reportedly include relatives of current and former BNP office-bearers, including presidents, general secretaries, organising secretaries and Krishak Dal activists.

Ranga denied submitting any list to the upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) or agriculture office. Asked about the document carrying his signature and seal, he said, “I cannot comment without seeing the list.”

Upazila Agriculture Officer Nilufa Yasmin said she had received no list from Ranga. “The names were scrutinised thoroughly through the committee and sent to the deputy commissioner’s office,” she said.

UNO Md Zayed Imrul Mozakkin said Ranga had not submitted any such list and there was no provision for political parties to recommend fertiliser dealers.

Meanwhile, social media posts alleged that Ranga and Dales had taken Tk15-20 lakh from several people for dealer appointments.

No financial documents or independently verifiable evidence supporting the allegations were available to this correspondent.

Following the posts, BNP activist Ziaur Rahman received a show-cause notice on September 23. At a September 25 press conference, Ranga and Dales dismissed the allegations of taking money as “false and conspiratorial”.

With officials insisting that dealer appointments must follow the government process, questions remain over who prepared the party-letterhead list, how it was circulated and why the names were included.

Locals have demanded disclosure of the final dealer list, applicants’ eligibility, scrutiny reports and the selection process to establish whether political influence played any role.