Several advisers to the interim government, including Prof Dr Asif Nazrul, student leaders and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Monday sharply criticized President Shahabuddin for contradictory statements regarding Sheikh Hasina’s resignation as Prime Minister.
Dr Nazrul pointed out that the president, in a speech on August 5, said he had received and accepted Hasina's resignation. He argued that if the president now claims—nearly two and a half months later—that no resignation letter was submitted, it constitutes a contradiction.
The adviser emphasized that it is clear to the nation that Hasina resigned and the president accepted it. He noted that the president's speech, delivered alongside military leaders, explicitly acknowledged Hasina's resignation and sought guidance from the Supreme Court’s Appellate Division, which confirmed her resignation.
He further said: “If the president lacks mental or physical competence or engages in serious misconduct, actions can be taken regarding his eligibility to remain in office.”
He expressed confusion over how the president could contradict himself after announcing the resignation to the nation.
If the president continues to deny Hasina’s resignation, the Advisory Council will discuss his suitability to remain in office, the law adviser added.
Meanwhile, Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud said Sheikh Hasina verbally resigned to President Mohammed Shahabuddin on August 5.
"Although she was supposed to go to Bangabhaban with her resignation letter, the killer Hasina was forced to flee when the students and people got close to Ganabhaban," he added.
Senior BNP leader Hafizuddin Ahmed called the ongoing discussions about Hasina’s resignation a new conspiracy, claiming her departure in the face of public anger serves as proof of her resignation.
He added that the public witnessed Hasina's resignation letter on YouTube and argued that her flight from the country was itself a resignation.
Advocate Zainul Abedin, BNP vice chairman, accused the president of lying about Hasina’s resignation.
He said: “The president claimed Hasina had resigned, and the entire nation heard this. Now, he says there’s no documentary proof of her resignation, which is a lie with a specific agenda.”
Abedin highlighted that legitimacy for the interim government was obtained from the Appellate Division, indicating no legitimacy crisis even if Hasina did not formally resign.
Hasnat Abdullah, a coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, remarked that Hasina was ousted during an uprising and that resignation papers were irrelevant in that context.
Earlier, President Mohammed Shahabuddin said he heard that Sheikh Hasina had resigned as prime minister before she fled Bangladesh, but he did not have documentary evidence.
Despite significant effort, he had failed to find any documents, the president told Manab Zamin Editor-in-Chief Matiur Rahman Chowdhury during a conversation, published in the Bangla daily’s political magazine Jonotar Chokh on Saturday.
