PTI
Dhaka
Two student leaders turned advisers of the interim government in Bangladesh tendered their resignations on Wednesday ahead of the Election Commission’s announcement of the schedule for the polls in February.
The resignation by M Mahfuj Alam and Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain comes in wake of the Election Commission’s (EC) decision that no adviser can contest the polls while holding a position in the interim government.
“Adviser for Information and Broadcasting M Mahfuj Alam and Adviser for Local Government, Rural Development & Cooperative and Youth & Sports Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain have tendered their resignation letters at around 5 pm to the Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus,” a statement from the chief adviser’s office said.
Both Alam and Bhuyain were inducted as representatives of Students Against Discrimination (SAD), the organisation which led a violent street movement that toppled former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s government on August 5, 2024.
“The nation will remember your leadership and contribution to the ‘revolution’ (uprising) remaining at its frontline to free the nation from fascist (Awami League) rule,” the statement quoted Yunus as saying while accepting their resignation.
“The nation will never forget what you gave to it in such a short time,” Yunus said.
Of the three SAD leaders appointed as advisers by Yunus, Nahid Islam quit in February to form the National Citizen Party (NCP), a political offshoot of the students’ organisation.
Bhuiyan earlier said he would resign to take part in upcoming elections, but Alam so far has made no comment in public about his future plans. However, neither of them have officially disclosed any link with NCP or any other political party.
The EC on Tuesday said Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin would announce the schedule for the upcoming polls in the next two days.
The EC had earlier clarified that no adviser can contest the polls while holding a position in the interim government.
