Recent statements from Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin regarding the resignation of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have brought the issue of the manner of her exit to the fore again. Analysts and influential voices- the prominent writer Taslima Nasrin, among them Hasina, did not resign before flying off to India on August 5 for want of any verifiable evidence in this regard.
Shahabuddin’s utterances have led to demonstrations in the Bangladeshi capital, with protesters demanding his resignation and accusing him of spreading “falsehoods” against his oath of office. His utterances have also fed speculations of possible military involvement in Hasina’s toppling.
New Rounds of Protests in Dhaka
Hundreds of protesters attempted to march on Tuesday at the presidential palace known as Bangabhaban but were resisted by the army, which erected barricades to block access. The new wave of protests comes months into Hasina’s departure. Shahabuddin said in an interview with the Bangla daily Manab Zamin that he repeatedly sent people to collect her resignation letter. Still, he gave the impression she might not have had a chance to resign as protests escalated.
I tried many times to collect it and failed. Maybe she did not get the time,” he said, according to The Daily Star. This is the opposite of his televised address on August 5, right after Hasina sought asylum in India. He said he had gotten her letter of resignation. Accusations of Deceit
The controversy further deepened when Taslima Nasrin accused top officials, including the Army Chief and the President, of lying. She repeated that nobody had been able to produce the resignation letter. “Everybody in Bangladesh lied. Army chief said Hasina resigned. President said Hasina resigned… But nobody has seen the resignation letter,” she tweeted, pointing at the lack of evidence.
Indian strategic analyst Brahma Chellaney also weighed in: “The Bangladeshi military forced Hasina to flee to India without her submitting a formal resignation as Prime Minister of Bangladesh.” He referred to Shahabuddin’s recent remarks about the lack of evidence for a resignation as indicative of an “usurper regime” under the current leadership of Muhammad Yunus, who was appointed advisor to the interim government following Hasina’s exit.
The military packed Hasina off to India without her resigning as PM. President Shahabuddin’s admission that ‘maybe she did not get the time’ to resign has set off a political firestorm,” he thus tweeted, foregrounding growing tensions over the interim government’s legality.
