NCP Calls Mass Protest at Shahbagh on 30 October, Demands Home and Energy Ministers Resign

The National Citizen Party (NCP) has demanded the immediate resignation of the home minister and the energy minister, accusing the government of failing to control the law-and-order situation and of inaction in tackling the energy-sector crisis. The party has also called a mass protest programme in the capital's Shahbagh on 30 October.

NCP convener and opposition chief whip Nahid Islam announced the demands and the programme on Friday afternoon at a rally in the CA Bhaban area of Karwan Bazar, held to inaugurate a week-long leaflet distribution campaign ahead of the protest.

Nahid Islam said: 'Our demand is clear. We believe that for this failure — overall, for this failure — the home minister and the energy minister must resign immediately.'

He said the home minister had shown complete failure in keeping the law-and-order situation normal over the past seven months. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, though busy with the constitution, could not play an effective role in protecting people's rights; instead, there was an attempt to snatch away people's rights in a fascist manner by cutting and altering the constitution, he alleged. In this situation, the home minister has no moral right to remain in office, he said.

Raising the energy sector's failure, Nahid said the government had taken no effective initiative in this sector either in the past seven months. The energy minister is not even allowed to speak, and he no longer speaks either — in this situation, he too has no right to remain in the cabinet.

The NCP convener said the list of failures of many others in the cabinet could be long, but for now the cabinet should be reshuffled by removing these two ministers. The information minister had been removed earlier and a state minister was removed a few days ago, but those against whom the allegations of negligence are greatest are not being held accountable, he alleged.

At the rally, NCP leaders called the mass protest on three demands, protesting the deterioration of law and order, rising commodity prices and the increase in fuel prices. The programme will be held on 30 October at 3 pm in front of the National Museum at Shahbagh in the capital, they said.

The NCP's three demands are: the resignation of the home and energy ministers taking responsibility for the failure; abolition of the one-party constitution amendment committee and formation of a constitution reform council based on the people's verdict in a referendum; and repeal of the Cyber Act and 'all authoritarian laws'.

Alleging an understanding between the BNP and the Awami League, Nahid Islam said there were allegations of an understanding between the BNP and the government with the fascist Awami League before the election. False cases against innocent people, case-trading and blackmail had taken place to pull the Awami League's vote bank towards themselves, he alleged. He claimed the country was still being run on the basis of a kind of understanding with the Awami League and India, and the government had not been able to clarify what it would do about renewing the Ganges water-sharing treaty.

The opposition chief whip said that although the government had changed, the arrangement for running the state had not. Changing the government or individuals alone is not enough; the existing state arrangement must be changed. He called on the government to ensure speedy justice and establish people's rights.

Akhtar Hossain, Nasiruddin Patwari, Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan and other top leaders of the party were present at the rally. Nasiruddin Patwari said that although many had given up, the NCP had taken to the streets again to realise people's rights and to hold the government accountable. Just as they had taken to the field before the mass uprising, they had done so again in the same way, he said; this government must be held accountable for everything and can be forced to control commodity prices.

Through the week-long leaflet distribution, the NCP will now campaign at the grassroots for the 30 October programme. Political circles are now watching how large a crowd the party can gather at Shahbagh, and what position the government takes on the demands.