Nahid demands home minister's removal, blames him for law and order failure

National Citizen Party (NCP) Convener Nahid Islam today (28 September) said restoring law and order in the country would not be possible as long as Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed remains in office as he has "failed to fulfill his responsibilities".

"We believe he has already failed. If a person has failed, he cannot and should not remain in charge," Nahid said at a press briefing following a meeting at the party office in the capital.

He said the home minister should step down to set an example of accountability within the government.

"We have already seen a few reshuffles in the cabinet. So, now he should be removed. An example needs to be set that if someone fails in their duties, they must step down and make way for a successor," he said.

"This will send a message to everyone including the government officials working under him," he added.

Nahid accused the government of failing to rein in its party activists.

Referring to the recent demolition of the Radda MCH-FP Centre in Mirpur and the attack on content creator Salman Muqtadir's studio, he said the incidents reflected the deteriorating law and order situation.

He alleged that law enforcement agencies remained inactive during the attacks, raising questions about the government's ability to ensure public safety.

"The government had promised that the law and order situation would improve after an elected government came to power. But the situation has deteriorated further," he said.

The NCP leader also accused the government of politicising public recruitment, citing the exclusion of candidates from the primary school teacher recruitment process following police verification.

He said qualified candidates should not be disqualified without specific evidence of their involvement in criminal or anti-state activities.

Nahid said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's recent address to the United Nations General Assembly had failed to reflect the expectations and concerns of Bangladeshi people.

He said the prime minister missed an opportunity to highlight key national concerns including the ongoing energy crisis, border killings, push-ins from India, the Rohingya crisis and the implementation of the Teesta project.

On constitutional reforms, Nahid rejected the government's initiative to form a parliamentary committee to amend the Constitution, arguing that fundamental reforms could not be achieved through the regular amendment process.

He called for the immediate convening of the Constitution Reform Council to implement the July National Charter, warning that the NCP would continue its programmes and move towards tougher action if the government fails to do so.

Nahid also expressed concern over the proposed Cyber Security Act, alleging that it could curtail freedom of expression and be used to suppress criticism of the government.

On the upcoming local government elections, he said the NCP would contest independently and support candidates committed to combating extortion, terrorism and land grabbing.

Senior party leaders Akhter Hossen, Sarjis Alam, Hasnat Abdullah, Nasiruddin Patwary, among others, were also present at the meeting.