What Latif Siddique did is despicable, says Hasina

Awami League leader Abdul Latif Siddique has done a grossly wicked job by ranting against the Hajj, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said.

Hasina, also the ruling party chief, told Awami League's Central Working Committee meeting on Sunday that this made her to drop Siddique from Cabinet.

The Cabinet issued a gazette notification only hours before the meeting removing the Awami League leader from his Cabinet berth.

In her opening remark at a meeting of the Awami League’s Central Working Committee on Sunday, Hasina said she had no other choice but to drop him from the government.

A few hours before the meeting, the Cabinet had notified Siddique’s removal.

After the remark of the party president, Awami League’s Central Working Committee went into a closed-door discussion at the Ganabhaban.

There is already an indication that the meeting will discuss the issue of party presidium member Siddique’s removal.

“I don’t know why and for what he said this. But I believe whatever he has said is outrageous,” the prime minister said.

During prime minister’s UN visit, Latif Siddique at a meeting in New York made some remarks on Hajj which evoked sharp reactions.

Various Islamist parties have demanded that Latif Siddique be dropped from the Cabinet. The BNP has demanded his arrest while nearly a dozen cases have been filed against him.

After returning from New York, the prime minister at a press conference on Oct 3 announced that Siddique would be removed from the Cabinet as well as from the party.

After completing administrative formalities, the decision to drop Siddique from the Cabinet was notified on Sunday.

In the meeting with party leaders, the prime minister said, “As you know one of our ministers, who can now be referred as former minister, and party presidium member Latif Siddique recently made some adverse comments on Hajj and our religion which are unacceptable to us.”

“We believe in secularism but it does not mean we are for impiety. Secularism stands for showing respects to all religions,” she said.

“When Hajj is on and Bangladesh is making such a nice arrangement to facilitate Hajj pilgrimage, when the president is in Hajj, such snide remarks of one of our party members are unacceptable,” she said.

“The moment I came to know about it, I took the decision. I had instructed to prepare the file. The Cabinet Division was ready with the file.

“After the cabinet secretary returned from the Hajj yesterday (Saturday), I sat with him. Along with him, I went to the President. After he signed the file, the gazette notification was issued.”

All the constitutional procedures were followed in dismissing Latif Siddique, the prime minister said.

“We were compelled to take the decision because (his remarks) have hurt the religious sentiments of every Muslim.”

Highlighting her party’s stand on religious issues, she said, “Our Awami League leaders and functionaries are most religious. They are the ones who pray the most. Number of Hajjis is also the highest in our party.”