The impasse over the issue of president Muhammed Shahabuddin’s removal continued as of Sunday evening with some political parties taking time to reach consensus, although they morally agreed on the issue, while the Bangladesh Nationalist Party voiced caution against any ‘imprudent’ steps in this regard.
The Student Movement Against Discrimination, which led the July-August student-mass uprising ousting then prime minister Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government on August 5, and National Citizens’ Committee, a platform floated after Hasina’s fall, on Sunday held separate meetings with the 12-party alliance and Gono Odhikar Parishad.
Earlier on Saturday, they held a meeting with the BNP that said it would take time to discuss the issue in its internal forum.
On Sunday, while speaking to reporters after placing a wreath at the grave of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman, marking the 46th founding anniversary of Jatiyatabadi Juba Dal, party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said that the interim government should operate within the constitutional framework avoiding any imprudent steps.
‘The only way to overcome every crisis is to hold a credible national election after completing all the necessary reforms related to the electoral process,’ he said.
Juba Dal leaders and activists accompanied Fakhrul at the event.
Asked about the party’s position on the removal of president Mohammed Shahabuddin following the meeting with students, he said, ‘We can’t provide BNP’s position like this... We have a party forum, and we will clarify our stance after discussing it at that forum.’
Fakhrul emphasised that at the moment forging a national unity was essential to consolidate the revolution and harvest its results.
‘We believe that all actions should be conducted within a constitutional framework without resorting to any arbitrary measures,’ he said, adding that their party had consistently urged the government to arrange an impartial election swiftly by implementing necessary electoral reforms.
When asked whether the party believed that delays in the election would deepen the crisis, Fakhrul responded that the government must take immediate steps to organise the national election to address the crisis.
‘A constitutional political force should take charge of the country and govern through a neutral election. This alone can resolve all crises,’ he said.
Besides, addressing a separate programme at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre on the day, BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed alleged that attempts were on to brew a constitutional crisis.
‘If there is a constitutional crisis, if there is a political crisis, we have to analyse the power behind that crisis,’ he said.
‘After the revolution [July-August mass uprising], we have to think about whether the fruits of the revolution are robbed. We have to remain vigilant so that a state crisis does not arise, a constitutional crisis does not arise, so that fallen fascism does not take advantage of that crisis,’ he added.
After the meeting with 12-party alliance in a press release the National Citizens’ Committee said that the alliance had agreed in principle with the demand of the president’s removal, but the process would be discussed further.
‘The issues of repealing the constitution and proclamation of the Second Republic were discussed. The National Citizens’ Committee and the Student Movement Against Discrimination will continue discussions with various political parties to create a national unity on these issues,’ it said.
About the meeting, Liberal Democratic Party, Bangladesh president Shahadat Hossain Selim, the spokesperson of the 12-party alliance, told ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ· that they told the leaders of the students and youths that they reserved no soft corner for Shahabuddin, but they feared his removal would usher in some constitutional crisis leading to delays in the national polls.
He also said that without reaching an agreement with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party over the issue, removing Shahabuddin would not be wise.  Â
Later, the platforms held a meeting with Nurul Hauq Nur-led Gono Odhikar Parishad at its office in Dhaka.
After the meeting, Gono Odhikar Parishad secretary Rashed Khan at a press conference said that his party morally agreed with the demand of president’s removal, but they also feared the removal would trigger some major crisis.
‘We are against the president, but we certainly do not want to see any crisis in this regard. We want to know the position of the government on this,’ he said, adding that the crisis would be solved with the formation of a national government.
He also said that his party wanted an open dialogue between the interim government and all political parties.     Â
At a programme, meanwhile, at a meeting on enforcing the Mandatory Jute Packaging Act 2010 at the textiles ministry at the Secretariat on the day, environment adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan said that the decision on the president’s removal would be taken on the basis of political consensus.
‘No decision has been taken on the president. Efforts are being made to build consensus among the political parties and then the decision will be taken after considering everything,’ she said.
Responding to a question, she said that the BNP believed the removal would trigger a crisis, while some others believed it would not.
‘The government’s stance is to build a political consensus on this issue,’ she said, adding that there were no issues with taking oath administered by the incumbent president, as the situation demanded it, and there were no alternative opportunities.
After Saturday’s meeting with the BNP, Student Movement Against Discrimination convener Hasnat Abdullah told reporters that they earlier held meetings with Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Andolon Bangladesh in this regard.
He said that Jammat and Islami Andolon agreed that the president should be removed.
They are scheduled to hold a meeting with the Ganatantra Mancha today.
On October 23, the Student Movement Against Discrimination and the National Citizens’ Committee jointly called for national unity for the president’s removal and the cancellation of the constitution, while a small group on the day demonstrated in front of Bangabhaban, office-cum-residence of the president.
The demand for the president’s removal has come to the fore following a special interview of president Shahabuddin with Manab Zamin editor Matiur Rahman Chowdhury published on October 19 in which he said that he did not have ‘any documentary evidence’ of the former prime minister’s resignation.
Later on October 21, in a press release sent from the president’s press wing, Shahabuddin urged all to refrain from destabilising or embarrassing the interim government centring on ‘media publicity’ by quoting him regarding the resignation of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
‘The clear statement from the president is that all the questions that have arisen in the public mind regarding the resignation and departure from the country of the prime minister in the face of the student-people uprising, the dissolution of the parliament, and the constitutional validity of the incumbent interim government are answered in the order of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court in the Special Reference No-01/2024, dated August 8, 2024,’ said the release.
