Opposition Chief Whip and National Citizen Party convener Nahid Islam has called for the removal and arrest of President Mohammed Shahabuddin Chuppu, telling Parliament that the head of state should not continue in office.
Speaking on Thursday during discussion on a thanksgiving motion on the President’s speech, Nahid Islam said, “The President has no right to stay at Bangabhaban to come here and give a speech.”
He alleged that the President had previously been appointed as an Anti-Corruption Commission commissioner with specific political objectives, including confirming corruption allegations against Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman, clearing the Awami League of Padma Bridge corruption claims, and cancelling cases against Sheikh Hasina and other party leaders during the Fakhruddin-Moinuddin caretaker government.
Nahid Islam questioned why the current government continues to recognise him as President. He also accused the head of state of involvement in handing over Islami Bank to S Alam and criticised his alleged role during the July unrest. “We know everything about his role during the July genocide and his connection with fascism. But unfortunately, a corrupt, useless liar and an accomplice to genocide is still the President of Bangladesh,” he said.
He further accused the government of failing to meet expectations arising from the July mass uprising and of not implementing necessary constitutional reforms. He described the uprising as a significant moment in the country’s history.
Turning to foreign policy, Nahid Islam said improving relations with India had become a recurring issue under the current government. He said such relations should be based on “dignity and equality”, adding that recent statements by the foreign minister were unclear.
Citing a report by Transparency International Bangladesh, he said 59.41% of ruling party candidates in the election had debts. He claimed that members of parliament collectively owed Tk 11,000 crore, most of it linked to the governing party, and alleged that some candidates repaid debts shortly before the election.
He also criticised the appointment of the central bank governor, alleging that loan rescheduling was being prioritised. “For the first time in the history of the country, a businessman has been made the Governor of Bangladesh Bank to provide him with the facilities to reschedule loans worth thousands of crores of taka. As a result, I can no longer trust them,” he said.
Nahid Islam also criticised the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s “note of dissent” on the July National Charter, saying it had weakened the reform process. Referring to the referendum on the charter, he said all parties had initially supported it but that the BNP later adopted a different position.
“We participated in the referendum based on everyone’s consent. The Prime Minister herself campaigned for reforms and for ‘Yes’ in the referendum. But after the election, BNP took a different stance,” he said, adding that the party should have clarified its position before the vote.
His remarks added to ongoing political tensions in Parliament over constitutional reform, governance and the legacy of recent political developments.
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