Former whip and Bangladesh Nationalist Party lawmaker Md Ashraf Hossain died at United Hospital in the capital early Saturday. He was 81.
He is survived by two sons and one daughter to mourn his death.
A duty manager of United Hospital told New Age that the former whip breathed his last at the intensive care unit of the hospital at about 4:45am on Saturday.
He said that Ashraf had been suffering from cancer, heart disease and diabetes and was admitted to the hospital under a cardiologist three weeks ago.
His first namaz-e-janaza was held at Nikunja-2 Jam-e-Mosque after Juhr prayers and was buried at his village home at Nalla under Brahamanpara upazila in Cumilla near his parent’s grave after his second namaz-e-janaza there after Asr prayers, his eldest son Moin Uddin Ashraf said.
Born in 1939, he became the general secretary of Cumilla Victoria College Central Students’ Union in 1959. He moved to Khulna in 1966 to organise workers’ movement.
He contested for the post of member of national assembly in 1970 with East Pakistan Majdur Federation and defeated.
He was one of the founders of Jatiya Ganatantrik League and contested in the 1973 national elections with its ticket.
Ashraf joined the BNP since the party had been formed in 1978 and he first became lawmaker in 1979 with from Khulna-3 constituency.
He was elected lawmaker with BNP ticket for four times and served as whip for three times.
Also a labour leader, Ashraf was an adviser to Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies-BILS, president of Khulna Jute Workers’ Institute and a former leader of Khulna Newsprint Mills Workers’ Union.
The former whip became a joint secretary general of BNP and observed his duty as the secretary general in-charge between 1996 and 2002, Ashraf’s son Moin Uddin Ashraf said.
Towards the end of BNP’s 2001-06 tenure, he became vocal about an end to familiocracy in BNP and the party chairperson expelled him from the party in 2007.
He became inactive in politics since then.
BILS chairman Md Habibur Rahman Siraj and secretary general Nazrul Islam Khan in a statement expressed their deep shock and expressed condolence to the bereaved family members.