'Won't be a showpiece': Inside key meeting where Bangladesh's chief advisor Mohammed Yunus threatened to resign

Bangladesh's interim government may be on the verge of collapse as reports claimed chief advisor Mohammed Yunus threatened to resign. This came amid speculations that Yunus had a tiff with Army chief Bangladesh Army Chief General Waqar-uz-Zaman over the creation of the Rakhine corridor to Myanmar and the conduct of elections. 

 

Student leader and convener of newly formed National Citizen Party Nahid Islam met Yunus on Thursday evening at his official residence Jamuna after the rumours began to do round. Nahid later confirmed to reporters that Yunus threatened to resign. "I cannot work like this if you, all the political parties, cannot reach a common ground," Nahid quoted Yunus as saying.

 

Meanwhile, other local media reports said Yunus summoned "leaders of the coup" to inform them to "exercise restraint or else he would resign." 

 

According to Barta Bazar, an online portal from Bangladesh. Yunus called a meeting of the advisory council to announce his resignation. The 84-year-old Nobel Prize winner is reported to have said that he had "great pride" and the four-way pressure was too much for him. 

 

He expressed his anger over the recent events. "I did not want to be the chief advisor. We were put in power through a bloody coup. I was given a mandate to reform. I did not come to be a showpiece. If I cannot do the job, I will resign and leave," he said.

 

However, at the request of the advisors, he finally backed down from the decision.

 

Yunus is said to have told the advisory council that each party "speaks a different language" and their language "matched those of the people of the previous government."

 

"The steps we are taking, including banning the Awami League, increasing the capacity of Chittagong Port, July Memorial, humanitarian corridor, and NBR separation, are being obstructed. In such a situation, I don't need to sit in an unnecessary position!," he is said to have told the meeting. 

 

However, the advisors then shifted to blame India, even though they were selected to the position by those who claimed to be "anti-India".

 

"These are conspiracies of fascists. Many of them are now speaking in the same tone to implement India's agenda," one unnamed advisor is said to have informed the meeting.

 

National Citizens Party convenor Nahid Islam has extended his support for Yunus with the party stating that they believe in resolving the issues among political parties. 

 

However, the BNP, which has been demanding swift elections, did not respond immediately. Another political party Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami refused to comment.

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