Bangladeshi politician
Rajiuddin Ahmed Raju (born 2 February 1944)[1] is an Awami League politician. He is a former posts and telecommunications minister, and labour and employment minister.[2][3][4] He is the incumbent Jatiya Sangsad member representing the Narsingdi-5 constituency.[5]
Early life
Raju was born on 2 February 1944.[1] He has a B.A. degree.[1]
Career
Raju was elected to parliament in 1996 from Narsingdi-5 as an Awami League candidate.[6] He received 75,672 votes while his nearest rival, Abdul Ali Mridha of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, received 61,862 votes.[6]
Raju was elected to parliament in 2001 from Narsingdi-5 as an Awami League candidate.[6] He received 117,096 votes while his nearest rival, Abdul Ali Mridha of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, received 99,509 votes.[6]
Raju was elected to parliament in 2008 from Narsingdi-5 as an Awami League candidate.[7] He received 93,746 votes while his nearest rival, Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, received 66,942 votes.[7]
In January 2009, Raju was appointed the minister for posts and telecommunications.[8]
Raju's brother, Salauddin Ahmed Bachchu, was accused in the murder of a former mayor of Narsingdi, who was killed on 1 November 2011.[9][10] Raju was in Geneva at the time of the murder.[11] After he returned to Bangladesh he held a 15 minute meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.[11] The meeting was also attended by three other Awami League members of parliament representing Narsingdi District: Anwarul Ashraf Khan, Muhammad Nazrul Islam, and Zahirul Haque Bhuiyan Mohan.[11] The prime minister requested him to prove his brother's innocence after the meeting.[11]
On 16 September 2012, Raju was replaced by Sahara Khatun as the minister for posts and telecommunications.[8] Raju was then appointed the minister of labour and employment.[8]
On 3 January 2013, Raju was dropped from the presidium council of the Awami League.[12] On 15 July 2013, Raju placed the Labour Law (amendment 2006)-2013 in parliament which was then passed by the treasury bench.[13] Raju was removed from the cabinet of Bangladesh on 21 November 2013.[14]
Raju was not included in the third Hasina cabinet formed after the general elections on 12 January 2014.[15]
Raju was elected to parliament in 2014 from Narsingdi-5 as an Awami League candidate.[16] He was elected unopposed as the election was boycotted by all major political parties.[16]
Raju was elected to parliament in 2018 from Narsingdi-5 as an Awami League candidate.[17] He had received 2,94,484 votes while his nearest rival, Md Ashraf Uddin of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, received 20,431 votes.[17]
Personal life
Raju's wife, Umme Salema Begum, is the principal of Udayan Higher Secondary School.[18]
Raju was hospitalised at Samorita Hospital on 18 March 2013 after falling ill during a meeting of the cabinet of Bangladesh.[3]
References
