Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus was considering resigning as he is finding it difficult to work as political parties have been failing to find any common ground, National Citizen Party (NCP) Convener Nahid Islam has told the BBC Bangla on Thursday.
Speaking to BBC Bangla after he met Yunus at his Jamuna residence at 7:oopm, he said he had gone to meet the CA after receiving news that he may resign.
After this discussion, the chief adviser told Nahid that he was "thinking about resigning," the BBC Bangla reported.
"He says he is thinking about it. He feels that the situation is such that he cannot work."
On the meeting, Nahid said, "We have been hearing news of sir's resignation since this morning. So I went to meet sir to discuss that issue."
Nahid said the chief adviser had expressed his fear that he would not be able to work in the current situation of the country.
Yunus said, "I won't be able to work unless the political parties can reach a common ground."
In response, Nahid told Yunus to stay strong for the sake of the country's security, future and to meet the expectations of the mass uprising.
Nahid urged the chief adviser not to take a decision like resignation.
He asked the CA to remain strong for the interests of the mass uprising and national security and the future of the country.
"I hope everyone will cooperate with him."
Nahid said there was no point in Yunus staying if he could not do his work.
Regarding the current attitude of the chief advisor regarding the resignation, Nahid said, "If the political party wants him to resign now... why will he stay if he does not get that place of trust, that place of assurance?"
In the past 36-hour whirlwind, Yunus' government has faced four major blows.
Different other sources said, Muhammad Yunus, apparently perturbed by the current political situation marked by frequent street protests and bickering among parties, told his cabinet colleagues on Thursday that he would not continue in his position if the situation remained unchanged.
After the cabinet meeting, which was held in the morning for about an hour, Professor Yunus conveyed his frustration and discussed the situation with his cabinet colleagues for more than three hours in his office, where he said he had opted to quit, according to sources close to the cabinet.
He also said that he had drafted his letter of resignation.
As Professor Yunus initiated the discussion with his cabinet colleagues, all government officials were asked to leave the meeting room, the sources said.
The sources quoted housing and public works adviser Adilur Rahman Khan as saying that he had also agreed with Professor Yunus and opted to quit, terming the situation insulting to them.
Several other advisers also agreed with Adilur Rahman.
Information adviser Mahfuj Alam, according to the sources, at a stage, said that he had also agreed with the others, but added that had the chief adviser quit, the country would be in trouble, and he had requested Professor Yunus not to take any decision that might lead the country into dire straits.
Earlier on Wednesday, the chief of army staff, General Waker-Uz-Zaman, also expressed his dissatisfaction over the political situation during an ‘Officers’ Address’ at Dhaka Cantonment, where he said that general elections should be held in December this year.
He also reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s intention to establish a humanitarian channel to Myanmar’s state of Arakan, as requested by the United Nations.
Professor Muhammad Yunus took charge as the chief adviser of the interim government on 8 August last year, after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India amid a mass uprising joined by people from different walks of life.
Since Yunus assumed office, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and several other parties insisted that Yunus, who opted for massive reforms in different sectors, should immediately hold the general elections and hand over power to an elected political party.
Several other parties, mainly the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh and the newly formed National Citizens Party, insisted that elections should be held after the completion of all reforms.
Though Professor Yunus more than once announced that the elections would be held by June next year, the BNP repeatedly urged him to announce a complete roadmap to the elections.
Professor Muhammad Yunus conveyed his frustration at a time when hundreds of BNP workers took to the streets in different parts of the capital, including Kakrail Road leading to his official residence Jamuna, where they blocked the road, creating traffic chaos around the city in support of their demand for administering the oath to Ishraque Hossain as mayor of Dhaka South City and the removal of three advisers.
Immediately after Thursday’s developments, law adviser Asif Nazrul, who is currently out of the country on an official trip, was informed by his cabinet colleagues about the intent of the chief adviser.
Asif Nazrul spoke to BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, who is currently in Singapore, and informed him of the situation over the phone.
Although the High Court delivered a verdict on Thursday paving the way for Ishraque’s oath, both Fakhrul from Singapore and the party’s acting chairperson, Tarique Rahman, from London, asked their protesting party supporters to leave the roads near Jamuna, and they complied in the afternoon and postponed their programme.
Later in the evening, a National Citizen Party leader confirmed to New Age that NCP convener Nahid Islam met with the chief adviser at 7:00pm to discuss the ongoing political situation and reported that the chief adviser intended to resign.
‘I do not want to hold on to power if the necessary atmosphere is not there in the country,’ one of the top NCP leaders quoted Professor Yunus as saying during the meeting with Nahid Islam, also a former adviser to the interim government.
Before making such a decision, Nahid Islam urged the chief adviser to consider the aspirations that had emerged following the July uprising, the commitment demonstrated during that period, the trust the people across the country had placed in him, and the significance of maintaining national unity, the NCP leader said.
Jamaat amir Shafiqur Rahman on Thursday evening also called on Professor Yunus and requested the chief adviser to convene an all-party meeting to help resolve the country’s emerging crisis party sources said.
The appeal was made during an emergency meeting of Jamaat central executive council at the party’s central office at Moghbazar in Dhaka, the sources said.
Firstly, on Wednesday Chief of Army Staff General Waker-Uz-Zaman stated that the national election should ideally be held by December this year.
Although Yunus had also suggested a December timeline, he said it could also be held in June next year depending on the speed of reforms.
Then earlier today, the High Court summarily rejected the writ petition that sought a stay on the Election Commission's decision to declare BNP-nominated candidate Ishraque Hossain as the mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation.
This could be interpreted in many ways, especially with the NCP being against such a move. Soon after the verdict, Adviser Mahfuj Alam also issued an apology for his "divisive words".
Also on Thursday, the finance ministry backtracked on its earlier decision to split the NBR into two divisions after dissolving it, dealing another blow to yet another crucial reform step.
And finally, the Human Rights Watch criticised the government for its ban on the AL and suppression of its supporters.
CA's Press Secretary, soon after the ban on AL, had declared that he didn't believe the world would lament over the ban.
The HRW reaction, however, says otherwise.
Two advisers Mahfuj and Asif also meet Dr Yunus
After the meeting with NCP convener Nahid Islam, two advisers of the Interim Government Mahfuj Alam and Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain also met with the Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus separately on Thursday evening.
The meetings took place on Thursday evening at the chief adviser’s official residence, Jamuna, where they reportedly discussed various matters.
