The Bangladesh Nationalist Party sticks to its guns for not removing President Mohammed Shahabuddin from office right now.
The party thinks that President’s removal may create fresh constitutional crisis and they are not in favour of the President’s removal at the moment.
The BNP showed its firm stance during a meeting with representatives from the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement and the Jatiya Nagorik Committee held at BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan office in the capital on Saturday, meeting sources said.
A seven-member delegation of the student leaders arrived at the BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office at around 5:15pm for discussion on the country’s latest situation and held talks with BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed and Joint General Secretary Shaheeduddin Chowdhury Anne accompanied Fakhrul during the meeting.
Anti-Discrimination Student Movement Convener Hasnat Abdullah, spokesperson Umama Fatema and Chief Organiser Abdul Hannan Masud, along with Jatiya Nagorik Committee Convener Nasiruddin Patoari and spokesperson Samantha Sharmin, as well as Akhter Hossain were present.
Emerging from the meeting, Hasnat Abdullah told reporters that the BNP did not inform its final decision during the meeting with them.
“The BNP will inform us after holding a meeting with the party forum,” he said.
The issue of President’s removal came to the fore following the President’s remarks on the resignation of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during a recent interview with Daily Manab Zamin Editor Matiur Rahman Chowdhury.
The President said that although he had heard about Hasina vacating her post, he had no ‘documentary proof’ of her resignation.
Abdullah said that they called for forging a national unity on October 23.
“We have ousted Sheikh Hasina through mass uprising as the first phase of uprooting fascism. Now President Mohammed Shahabuddin has appeared before us as another obstacle to the end of fascism,” he said. Abdullah said that they started talks with the political parties amid a new political era and talks with the BNP was a part of that process.
“We have discussed three issues ---how to rebuild the second republic and how it will be announced, how President Mohammed Shahabuddin can be removed within the quickest possible time and how to address political crisis and finally how to run the government maintaining the national unity,” he added.
Abdullah said, “They (BNP) have informed us that they would discuss the matter in the party forum and later they will inform us,” he said.
Abdullah said that the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami nodded positively over the removal of the President during a meeting with them.
“We have also held talks with Islami Andolan on the same issue. They also want removal of the President on ethical ground,” he said. Abdullah said that they would hold talks with the Ganatantra Mancha, 12-party alliance and Gana Odhikar Parishad in future.
The interim government on October 24 decided to garner opinions from different political parties before taking any decision over the fate of President Mohammed Shahabuddin.
“The fate of President Shahabuddin, whether he will remain in his position or will be removed, will be decided after discussions with different political parties,” environment adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan told reporters after the meeting.
“The government has started discussions with political parties-- whether the president will resign or not. The decision will be taken based on a political consensus,” she added.
Amid escalating tensions following the demands of President’s resignation from different quarters, the BNP held a crucial meeting with Chief Adviser on Wednesday and urged all to remain alert to avert any new constitutional or political crisis.
Experts say that the country may face a constitutional crisis if the President resigns or is removed from his office.
As per Article 50 (3) of the Constitution, the President may resign his office by writing under his hand addressed to the Speaker.
In the wake of mass upsurge, Sheikh Hasina fled the country to India on August 5 and the president dissolved the parliament next day.
Even, Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury tendered her resignation to the President on September 2.
Student-led protesters on October 22 staged demonstrations across the country and in front of the Bangabhaban, the official residence of the President, demanding the resignation of President Shahabuddin within 24 hours following his statement on resignation letter of Sheikh Hasina.
