Bangladesh President claims Yunus tried to oust him
Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin has alleged that former interim government head Muhammad Yunus attempted to remove him from office several times, days after the new Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) administration took charge. In an interview with Bangla newspaper Kalerkantha published on Sunday, the President said, during the past 18 months of the interim government’s rule, he was “nowhere in discussion but several plots were hatched against me”. Shahabuddin said he received the “highest level of support” from the armed forces chiefs who “came to me at different times and boosted my morale”.
“They told me only one thing: ‘Your Excellency, you are the supreme commander of the armed forces. Your defeat would mean the defeat of the entire armed forces. We will prevent that at any cost’. In the end, they did exactly that,” he said. “Many attempts were made to create a constitution void” during Yunus’ regime, Shahabuddin added.
“I was targeted for removal in so many ways. But I did not break down under any circumstances,” he said. According to constitution experts, the President’s removal could have created a constitutional void affecting the command chain in the military, civil bureaucracy and judicial system.
The President said he could state “unequivocally” that the top leadership of the now ruling BNP, being headed by new Prime
Minister Tarique Rahman, stood beside him, and expressed their commitment to preserve “constitutional continuity”.
1st Parl session on March 12
- Bangladesh President Mohammad Shahabuddin on Monday summoned the first session of the 13th Parliament on March 12, nearly a month after the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) formed the government after winning the Feb 12 crucial general election
- The first sitting of the maiden session of the new Parliament will witness the BNP having a two-thirds majority and the far-right Jamaat-e-Islami being the main opposition
