NCP Convener Nahid Islam on Monday demanded the resignation of the home minister, accusing him of failing to maintain law and order amid rising crime and growing public concerns over security.
“The people of the country are looking to see when the home minister will resign because he has completely failed,” Nahid told journalists after visiting the Sri Sri Nimtala Temple in Purba Badda Tekpara in the afternoon.
He alleged that theft, murder and rape had increased across the country, while the home minister had repeatedly failed to provide satisfactory answers to questions raised in parliament.
Nahid also accused the government of further politicising the police administration following the election, saying the absence of institutional reforms had deepened public fears over safety.
Referring to security arrangements during Durga Puja, he said communal harmony had long been a part of Bangladesh’s heritage, although attempts had been made to undermine it for political purposes.
He stressed that security concerns were not limited to the religious festival, as the country’s overall law and order situation remained fragile.
Nahid alleged that the home minister was preoccupied with constitutional amendments instead of addressing deteriorating security, while other government officials were also failing to discharge their responsibilities properly.
Turning to the resignation of Ishraque Hossain, Nahid said the government must clarify whether the allegations against him involved ethical misconduct or criminal offences.
He argued that resignation alone could not resolve allegations of criminal wrongdoing and that legal action must follow where offences had been committed.
The law, he said, must apply equally to members of the government and the opposition.
On drug trafficking, Nahid called for action against dealers as well as users, alleging that many people involved in the trade had links to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the government.
Citing remarks made in parliament by a senior BNP leader about drug trafficking in Cox’s Bazar, he claimed that the home minister had failed to control the trade even in his own area.
Nahid also criticised the government’s handling of the July Charter, saying institutional reforms were essential to establish the rule of law.
He said implementing the charter and the referendum mandate required the formation of a Constitution Reform Council and the swearing-in of its members.
By failing to take those steps, the government had betrayed the July Uprising, he alleged.
Describing the proposed constitutional amendment committee as a “farce and drama”, Nahid said the Consensus Commission had already reached agreements on reforms following more than six months of discussions with political parties.
Those decisions were supposed to be implemented after the election, he said, arguing that reform discussions could instead take place in parliament without forming another committee.
