CHITTAGONG: On a note of sarcasm, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wednesday criticized recently elected Mayor M Manjur Alam Manju for crossing the floor of her party into the opposition BNP camp to become city father.  

“Manju was a leader of our party. He was a son of our house. He has crossed the floor into another house to become Mayor," she said in his presence at an exchange-of-opinion meeting during her daylong tour of the port city.   

Manjur Alam, the new mayor, and ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury, the immediate-past mayor of the city, laughed as the premier spoke in a blend of wit and humour, underpinned with serious political undertone.

Lawyers and people of the civil society also enjoyed the PM`s humorous speech at the view-exchange meeting with senior lawyers and people of the civil society in the port city following the inauguration of the newly built court building.

She also said, "I heard that Mohiuddin had made Manju acting mayor 20 times. To repay this debt, he cut away from the roots."

She said everybody should remember that ultimate result of leaving the main party is not good.

"Manju might have to search for his own roots in the future," she said.            

BDST: 2055 HRS, SEPT 8, 2010