Ershad wants maximum penalty for ‘apostate’ Latif Siddique

Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad has demanded death penalty for Telecoms Minister Abdul Latif Siddique for his anti-Hajj remarks branding him an apostate.

Speaking at a party rally in Dhaka on Wednesday, he said handing him punishment was a 'responsibility of the faithful'.

"I call upon the prime minister as the Jatiya Party chairman to expel this black sheep from the party, Parliament and Cabinet," he said.

"Arrest him and give him maximum penalty.

"This unholy person has no right to sit at a holy place like Parliament."

At a programme in New York on Sunday, Siddique commented on Hajj and cleared his opposition towards Jamaat-e-Islami and Tablig.

Several parties, including the BNP, have since been demanding his resignation. Ruling Awami League leader Mahbub-ul Alam Hanif on Wednesday told reporters that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had ‘fired’ Siddique.

Ershad pointed out that the minister's remarks had 'hurt' the sentiment of millions of Muslims in Bangladesh.

"We've come down on the street to protest against it," he said. “We'll stay here until he is arrested and given the highest punishment."