Bid to remove president: BNP at odds with student movement

"At this moment, it would be inappropriate to take any hasty step that could create a constitutional vacuum."

— Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir BNP secretary general

 

The interim government's decision on whether to remove President Mohammed Shahabuddin from office is still awaiting a "political consensus", because the BNP believes removing him would unnecessarily stir things up in post-Hasina Bangladesh.

The party's position is in stark contrast to the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.

Both sides have been cordial and agreeable, and have gone out of their way to point out that they do not want any confrontation, but they have been in talks with other parties to drum up support for their stances.

The students consider the president a relic of the 15 years of Hasina-led regime and believe that he must be deposed to complete their victory.

They have met Jamaat-e-Islami and the Islami Andolan Bangladesh leaders who agreed with the demand that the president has to be removed.

The BNP, on the other hand, has been opposing that, saying it did not desire a constitutional vacuum, which could be dangerous, potentially leading to a crisis.

Party leaders said they would not make any comment that could hurt the sentiments of the movement but would come up with an explanation as to how such a move could bring about a chaotic situation that might hamper the democratic process.

BNP Vice-Chairman Mohammad Shahjahan told The Daily Star yesterday, "Our position is not rigid."

Through talks with other parties, the BNP wants to reach a consensus that "there shouldn't be any crisis that hampers the election process," he said.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir yesterday reiterated his plea to the interim government that it should not make any rash decisions regarding the matter.

"At this moment, it would be inappropriate to take any hasty step that could create a constitutional vacuum," he said at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.

A delegation of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement and its aligned civic platform, the Jatiya Nagorik Committee, held a meeting with the BNP leaders on the removal of the president on Saturday evening.

Regarding that meeting, Fakhrul said the matter would be discussed at the party forum, after which the party would clarify its position.

"We have previously said that to consolidate the revolution in Bangladesh and secure the fruits of the people's uprising, national unity is essential. Any decision should align with the constitutional process. Towards that end, immediate reforms towards holding elections are necessary," Fakhrul added.

BNP leaders held a meeting with the 12-party alliance at the BNP chairperson's Gulshan office on Thursday, where they emphasised on national unity, discussed the issue, and conveyed the message that they are against removing the president for the time being, sources said.

"We don't want any new complications centring the president's removal, as we are passing a critical time. Any new complication will only hamper the electoral process. So, what the BNP said is also very much our view," Shahadat Hossain Selim, spokesperson of the 12-party alliance, told The Daily Star yesterday.

BNP standing committee members Nazrul Islam Khan and Selima Rahman, vice chairmen Abdul Awal Mintoo and Mohammad Shahjahan were present at the 12-party meeting.

The BNP also held a meeting with the Jatiyatabadi Samamona Jote and conveyed the same message.

Fariduzzaman Farhad, coordinator of Jatiyatabadi Samamona Jote, said that they also did not want any move that would create a constitutional vacuum.

"We are very much aligned with BNP's stance. We want a clear election roadmap," he said.

Andaleeve Rahman Partha, chairman of the Bangladesh Jatiya Party, said, "We are also of the view that creating a constitutional vacuum will not be wise. We are of the same opinion as that of the BNP."

He, however, said the parties were yet to talk about this issue formally.

Saiful Huq, general secretary of the Revolutionary Workers Party, and also a leader of Ganatantra Mancha, said if the president did not resign voluntarily, any initiative to remove him would complicate the already volatile political situation and that might hamper the election process.

"So, we don't want any such complications right now."

He, however, said the Ganatantra Mancha's official stance was yet to be decided.

On October 23, three top BNP leaders met Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and warned of a potential constitutional crisis as a consequence of the president's removal.