Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan on Thursday said the demand for President Mohammed Shahabuddin’s resignation is getting stronger but any decision on the matter would be reached through political consensus.
 
“What the President said has been taken into our account and the ongoing movement demanding removal of the President is being considered,” she said while speaking at a press briefing at Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka.
 
The issues related to the President were discussed today at the meeting of the Council of Advisers with Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus in the chair.
 
Terming the issue of removal of the President a political one, Rizwana said the council of advisers also discussed the opinion of a political party that there may create a constitutional crisis with resignation of the President.  
 
There is demand for the resignation of the President and the demand is getting stronger, while the political parties have taken an opposite stance without making any clear decision, she said.
 
She said the political parties should make their position clear in this regard. 
 
Discussions are underway with the political parties, the adviser said, hoping that the government would reach a decision to this end through consensus with the political parties.  

She also said, the government has banned Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) as a terrorist organisation but it has no decision to ban the ousted Awami League or any other entity adding that there is also no initiative to confiscate the assets of the banned organisations for now.

 Rizwana said the country’s people have seen how the Chhatra League carried out terrorist acts to suppress all types of student movements.

Even after the August 5, they were involved in terrorist acts from different places, she said adding that the government had to take this decision of banning the BCL based on specific information from intelligence agencies to curb their terrorist acts.

 Another big reason for banning the BCL was that they carried out brutal attacks during the anti-discrimination student movement and they are still carrying out terrorist activities, the adviser said.

 She said there can be no reason to sit idly after seeing the terrorist acts of an organisation. Since the government has been given the power to combat terrorism, it has banned the Chhatra League, she added.

Replying to another query over Indian visa, Rizwana said there is no such situation in Bangladesh now that any country can impose visa restrictions for Bangladeshis.

“A decision has been taken that nobody will go to hajj with the government financing. Those only involved in hajj management will go (with the government finance),”she told the press briefing.

 Speaking at the briefing, Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant Mahfuj Alam said the BCL was banned giving priority to public security and sovereignty of Bangladesh. However, he said, political consensus is needed regarding the banning of the Awami League.

 He said that those found guilty in BCL will definitely be brought to justice.

 Stating that as a banned organisation, news of the Chhatra League should not be published in media, Mahfuj urged the journalists not to broadcast or publish any news of the BCL.

Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam were present at the press briefing.