National Citizen Party (NCP) Convener Nahid Islam on Monday called for the removal of Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, alleging that he had failed to ensure law and order in the country.
“He has already failed. If a person has failed, he cannot and should not remain in charge,” Nahid said at a press briefing after a meeting at the party’s office in the capital.
He said the home minister should step down to demonstrate accountability within the government, noting that several cabinet reshuffles had already taken place.
Nahid also accused the government of failing to control its party activists and expressed concern over what he described as a deterioration in the law-and-order situation.
Referring to the recent demolition of the Radda MCH-FP Centre in Mirpur and an attack on content creator Salman Muqtadir’s studio, he alleged that law enforcement agencies remained inactive during the incidents.
“The government had promised that the law-and-order situation would improve after an elected government came to power. But the situation has deteriorated further,” he said.
The NCP leader also alleged political interference in public recruitment, citing the exclusion of some primary school teacher candidates following police verification. He said qualified candidates should not be disqualified without specific evidence of involvement in criminal or anti-state activities.
Commenting on Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s recent address to the United Nations General Assembly, Nahid said the speech did not adequately reflect what he described as key concerns of Bangladeshis, including the energy crisis, border killings, alleged push-ins from India, the Rohingya crisis and implementation of the Teesta project.
On constitutional reform, Nahid opposed the government’s plan to form a parliamentary committee to amend the Constitution. He argued that fundamental reforms could not be achieved through the regular constitutional amendment process.
He called for the immediate convening of the Constitution Reform Council to implement the July National Charter, saying the NCP would continue its programmes and consider tougher action if the government failed to take steps.
Nahid also expressed concern over the proposed Cyber Security Act, alleging that it could restrict freedom of expression and be used to suppress criticism of the government.
Regarding the upcoming local government elections, he said the NCP would contest independently and support candidates committed to combating extortion, terrorism and land grabbing.
Senior NCP leaders Akhter Hossen, Sarjis Alam, Hasnat Abdullah and Nasiruddin Patwari, among others, were present at the meeting.
