Nahid threatens to surround PM unless Home, Energy ministers resign

The National Citizen Party (NCP) Convenor Nahid Islam on Friday said the Home Minister must resign over the government's failure to address the ongoing anarchy, killings and enforced disappearances in Bangladesh. He also demanded the resignation of the Energy Minister.

“Otherwise, we will take this march across Bangladesh and hold demonstrations throughout the country. We will then surround Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and force him to meet our demands,” he said.

Nahid made the remarks while addressing a mass protest rally organised by the NCP’s Dhaka North and South units in front of the National Museum in Shahbagh, Dhaka, demanding four measures, including the resignation of the Home and Energy Ministers.

The other demands included dissolving the “one-party” Constitution Amendment Committee, forming a Constitution Reform Council in line with the public mandate expressed through the referendum, and repealing all “authoritarian laws”, including cyber laws.

Nahid accused the government of attempting to hand over an “illegal corridor” to India through the Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt (BIG-B) initiative during Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s recent visit to Japan, warning that the people of Bangladesh would not accept any such arrangement.

“We want to make it clear that the people of Bangladesh will not accept any such illegal corridor", he said.

Nahid also warned that people would take to the streets again if the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty was not renegotiated with India on fair terms in December.

“This time, we will not concede even a single bit of our rightful share of the Ganges water, Insha’Allah,” he said.

NCP Member Secretary and MP Akhter Hosen told the rally that the one-party and unilateral Constitution Amendment Committee must be scrapped and a Constitution Reform Council formed in line with the public mandate expressed through the referendum.

“All laws that go against human rights must be repealed, and no amendments should be made to the Cyber Security Act. The Awami League and its associates must be brought to justice for genocide and crimes against humanity,” he said.

Akhter said the government had failed on multiple fronts and was moving in the opposite direction when it came to protecting people's human rights.

“After the 2024 uprising in Bangladesh, we wanted strong legislation to safeguard human rights. But this government, despite talking about enacting strong laws, has instead introduced weak legislation, paving the way for it to violate human rights at will,” he said.

Others who addressed the rally included NCP Dhaka South mayoral candidate Nasiruddin Patwary and the party’s Senior Joint Member Secretary and Dhaka North mayoral candidate Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuyain.