Moni Swapan Dewan
Bangladeshi politician (born 1954)
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Moni Swapan Dewan (born 18 May 1954) alias Major Rajesh was 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]
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 |
| Party | Liberal Democratic Party |
Other political affiliations | Bangladesh Nationalist Party |
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
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]