Four of the six ministers from the Jatiya Party yesterday handed over to party chief HM Ershad their resignations from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s polls-time cabinet.
“Chairman HM Ershad will hand over the resignation letters to President Abdul Hamid when he returns from Singapore,” said Jatiya Party’s Secretary General Ruhul Amin Howlader at a press conference yesterday.
Later at night, Ershad said all but two from his party had handed over their resignations to him and the two, Anisul Islam Mahmud, water resources minister, and Ziauddin Bablu, adviser to the PM would also “submit their resignations tomorrow [Friday] morning.”
Asked why the ministers submitted the resignation letters to him and not the PM, Ershad said the ministers had taken oaths from the president, not the PM, so they gave him their resignations for submitting to the president.
About his wife Rowshan Ershad, health minister in the polls-time cabinet, he said: “She is my wife. You can assume that her resignation letter is with me.”
In reply to another question, the former dictator said he was firm in his decision not to take part in the upcoming elections and “otherwise, there will be no other way but death.”
The ministers’ resignation, which analysts said was not in line with the constitution, came hours after Ershad had threatened the ministers with punishment if they did not resign.
The ministers who submitted resignations are GM Quader, commerce minister, ABM Ruhul Amin Howlader, civil aviation and tourism minister, Mujibul Haq Chunnu, state minister for youth and sports, and Salma Islam, state minister for women and children affairs.
On December 03, Ershad backtracked from his decision to participate in the upcoming polls and the next day asked the ministers from his party to resign from the polls-time government. The presence of law enforcers has since been increased around his residence.
Anisul Islam Mahmud went to Ershad’s residence at 8:10pm and came out after half an hour, but he refused to make any comment.
Some angry party men shouted at him, calling him subservient to the Awami League. Police rescued Anisul and gave him a safe escape route.
Ershad later told reporters: “If anyone leaves the party now, that will be a wrong decision. I am hurt by this.”
Zaiuddin Bablu could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.
On law enforcers’ attempt to detain Jamuna Group chief and Jatiya Party leader Nurul Islam Babul in the evening, Ershad said: “I do not know what is happening in the minds of the government. They think that I am a kid of class V and I take lessons from Nurul Islam Babul.
“Salma Islam, the junior minister for youth and sports, is his wife. He can come here anytime!”
In the morning, Rowshan Ershad, Ruhul Amin Howlader and Mojibul Haque Chunnu met with Sheikh Hasina at her office. Ruhul later said they had gone to explain the party’s stance to the PM.
According to section 58 (1) of the constitution, the office of a minister becomes vacant if the minister resigns from office by placing the resignation in the hands of the PM for submission to the president.
“The resignation must be done according to the constitutional provision,” Akbar Ali Khan, a former cabinet secretary and former adviser to a caretaker government, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.
Suranjit Sengupta, a former cabinet minister, said ministers “must submit resignation letters in person to the prime minister.”
The interim cabinet was formed as per Awami League chief and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s proposal for an “all-party” cabinet to oversee the upcoming polls. Six ministers of the 29-member polls-time cabinet are from the Jatiya Party. They took oath on November 18. Ziauddin Bablu was appointed as the PM’s adviser the next day.
