The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samity (KMSS) lambasted the management of Topcem Cement for ‘offering job’ to a Bangladeshi diplomat’s wife in Guwahati.

According to reports, the management of Topcem Cement appointed Munera Azam, wife of Bangladesh Assistant High Commissioner to Guwahati – Shah Mohammad Tanvir Mansur, as its senior manager (marketing & sales).

Munera Azam joined Topcem Cement’s parent company – Meghalaya Cement Limited in March Guwahati.

Meanwhile, Samujjal Bhattacharya, chief adviser of AASU said Topcem Cement’s decision to appoint Munera Azam is against the spirit of the historic Assam Accord, and will not be tolerated.

“While lakhs of youths in Assam are unemployed, appointment of a Bangladeshi diplomat’s wife in a company that runs from the state is not acceptable,” Bhattacharya said.

Similarly, KMSS leader Deben Sarma said corporate houses in Assam have failed to address the issue of spiraling unemployment in the State.

“Companies like Topcem Cement are here in Assam only to mint money and employ Bangladeshi nationals in top positions,” Sarma said.

Sarma questioned, “How couldn’t the management of Topcem Cement find any suitable candidate in Assam? Do they mean to say that Assam doesn’t have any qualified person to get the job of a senior manager?”

The KMSS leader also took a dig at Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who always promises to protect Assam’s Jati, Mati and Bheti. “He (the Chief Minister) is here only to keep the corporate houses in good humour,” Sarma said.

Kailash Lohia, chairman of Topcem Cement also remained incommunicado for the last 48 hours and even the management of Topcem Cement also did not issue any statement till Sunday evening on the controversial appointment of Munera Azam.

As reported by Nenow, from prima-facie investigations, it was found that Munera Azam has ‘no special skills’ for the position of Senior Manager Marketing & Sales.

Or, was the ‘job’ to Munera Azam some kind of a ‘thanks-giving’ for some ‘special favour’ by Bangladesh’s Assistant High Commissioner to Guwahati?

Sources said Munera Azam has a bachelor degree in Mass Communication from the University of Liberal Arts in Bangladesh, and had worked as an executive with the Standard Chartered Bank from 2012 to 2013.

She had worked as a Marketing Coordinator with Asus from September 2014 to October 2016 in Dubai.

Between 2017 and 2019, Munera Azam did her Master’s degree in International Marketing, with a scholarship of the Russian government.

And, within months of completion of the Master’s degree in International Marketing, Topcem Cement offered Munera Azam the job of Senior Manager Marketing & Sales.