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The plot thickens with calls for the president to resign

Matte Jr
The plot thickens with calls for the president to resign





Staff Correspondent

Thu, 24 Oct 2024, 12:00 Last updated: Thu, 24 Oct 2024, 03:07

The BNP and the Student Anti-Discrimination Movement appear to be at loggerheads over the removal of President Mohammed Shahabuddin.

The interim government, however, has not yet clarified its position on the matter.

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After a meeting between a BNP delegation and chief advisor Prof Mohammad Yunus at around noon yesterday, the party said a vacancy in the position of president at this time would put “the state in crisis and create a vacuum constitutional”, which the nation does not want.

Briefing reporters outside the state-run Jamuna guesthouse, BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan said his party had urged the government to ensure there was no vacuum or constitutional crisis.

“If the fallen autocrat’s lackeys try to create any constitutional and political crisis, the pro-democracy political parties and different organizations will face it together,” Nazrul said, appealing to everyone to be cautious so that a new constitutional or political crisis does not occur. be created.

Legal Counsel Asif Nazrul and Special Assistant to Chief Counsel Mahfuj Alam were present at the meeting.

Asked by journalists about the BNP’s opinion regarding the president’s resignation, Asif Nazrul said: “Nothing specific. We said that everyone should be careful that no new constitutional or political crisis is created. If anyone wants to do that, we will face it together.”

Nazrul Islam Khan along with BNP standing committee members Amir Khasru Mahmud and Salahuddin Ahmed represented BNP at the meeting.

Later, at the BNP chairman’s office in Gulshan, Salahuddin told journalists: “The presidency is the highest constitutional office and is also an institution. If this office becomes vacant due to resignation or dismissal, it will create a constitutional and national crisis.” “

Meanwhile, the Student Anti-Discrimination Movement and the Jatiya Nagorik Committee, at a press conference last night, called for national unity to scrap the 1972 constitution and remove the president.

Protesters gathered in front of the Bangabhaban yesterday afternoon to stage a demonstration demanding the resignation of President Mohammed Shahabuddin. Photo: Palash Khan

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Protesters gathered in front of the Bangabhaban yesterday afternoon to stage a demonstration demanding the resignation of President Mohammed Shahabuddin. Photo: Palash Khan

In the press, Hasnat Abdullah, convener of the movement’s four-member committee, urged all parties except the Awami League, the pro-AL Chhatra League student body and the Jatiya Party to respond to the call for national unity.

He said: “If any party does not join us in calling for the abrogation of the 1972 constitution and the dismissal of the president, we will boycott it. We will not accept the 1972 constitution as its existence prolongs the political crisis.

“This Constitution has always established and reinforced a fascist structure. Sheikh Hasina has always said that ‘we must maintain constitutional continuity’. Whenever she was asked to resign or hold discussions about an interim or neutral government, she readily referred to the need to defend this Constitution,” he said.

“Our demand is that President Shahabuddin resigns. However, we do not want this type of movement to escalate. We have already communicated with the protesters near Bangabhaban. I urge those involved to trust in the Student Anti-Discrimination Movement. We will lead collectively and face all conspiracies through our activism.”

Nasir Uddin Patwari, member of the Jatiya Nagorik Committee, said, “We are engaging with the political elite, but we do not seek round table discussions. We believe in taking up issues on the streets. Sheikh Hasina has avoided accountability on the streets, and that is where the decisions will be taken.”

Meanwhile, Information Advisor Nahid Islam stressed the need for political consensus and national unity rather than following legal or constitutional procedures for any decision regarding the president.

“The interim government is consulting all stakeholders and a decision can be taken…,” he told reporters at the Secretariat.

“Currently, whether the president will remain in office is not a legal or constitutional question. It is a political decision. To make the decision (on the president), we are prioritizing stability, security and discipline in the state,” Nahid said.

The advisor appealed to protesters not to hold demonstrations as the government received its message.

Chief Advisor’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said the government has not taken any decision on removing the President from office.

“We will inform you of any development on the matter,” he told reporters after the meeting with the BNP.

The debate over the president’s removal began after the political magazine “Janatar Chokh” of the daily Manab Zamin on Sunday published an article containing the president’s remarks that he had heard that Sheikh Hasina had resigned as prime minister, but he had not had no documentary proof.

“I tried (to collect the resignation letter) many times, but I couldn’t. Maybe she didn’t have time,” he said.

The next day, legal advisor Asif Nazrul said that the president had lied and that this was akin to misconduct. He questioned the president’s mental capacity to serve.

Later, student bodies, including the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, demanded the president’s removal.

On Tuesday, several hundred protesters under the banners Raktim July 2024 and Shadhinota-Sharbobhoumotto Rokkha Committee attempted to break through security barriers in front of the Bangabhaban.

A robust four-tier security measure has been established at Bangabhaban. But protesters made sporadic attempts to gather near the president’s official residence.

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