Latif Siddique loses all for a moment of madness

Senior politician Abdul Latif Siddique has been stripped of both his Cabinet and Awami League's Presidium positions over his snide remarks about the Hajj and now he is apparently going to be expelled from the party.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 12 Oct 2014, 08:34 PM
Updated : 13 Oct 2014, 06:27 AM

The 77-year old put everything on the line when he decried the Hajj and Tabligh Jamaat as 'useless activity’ at a programme in New York on Sept 28, sparking a furore.

Since then, he has been accused in a number of cases across Bangladesh and opposition parties and even some in the Awami League have asked for his prosecution leading to Siddique's seclusion in the ruling party.

In a matter of hours, he was removed from the Cabinet and his party decided to drop him from its Presidium on Sunday.

Awami League's Central Working Committee meeting, chaired by party President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, decided to temporarily suspend his primary membership in the party.

Siddique, who is reportedly abroad, will be served a show-cause notice and a final decision on whether to expel him would be taken based on his reply, Awami League General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam has hinted.

After the meeting at the Ganabhaban, spokesperson Syed Ashraf said Siddique's constituency would be declared vacant after his primary membership is annulled.

Siddique, a four-time MP from Tangail-4 constituency, helmed the jute and textiles ministry in the Awami League's 2009-13 term.

He was given charge of the posts and telecommunications and information and communication technology ministry this time.

Hasina poured cold water on Islamists’ attempts to heat up politics over Siddique's remarks.

She dubbed Siddique's remarks "wickedly gross" saying, "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."

The prime minister was in New York to attend the 69th UN General Assembly when Siddique made these contemptuous remarks.

He called himself "arrogant" and said he was "strictly opposed" to Hajj, Tabligh and Jamaat-e-Islami. He said was more opposed to Hajj and Tabligh than he was to Jamaat.

Siddique had said Hasina's son Sajeeb Ahmed Wazed Joy was not part of the government and that he had no authority to take decisions.

His rant opened the floodgates for criticism when a video clip of the programme went viral on the social media.

Chittagong-based Hifazat-e Islam demanded his expulsion from the Cabinet within 24 hours and warned of demonstrations otherwise.

Jatiya Party chief HM Ershad dubbed him an apostate and demanded his execution.

Several Awami League affiliates then demanded Siddique's removal from the party and the Cabinet.

The ruling party leaders had been saying a decision would be taken once party chief Hasina returned.

At a media call on Oct 3, Hasina said he was being dropped from the Cabinet and would be expelled from the party as well.

But the expulsion had to wait as both the president and cabinet secretary were on Hajj.

It hindered the administrative procedures to remove Siddique but all preparations had been taken, Hasina said.

"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,” she said on Sunday.

Cabinet Secretary Md Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan went to the Secretariat after meeting the president and informed reporters of Siddique's removal.

He did not elaborate on any reason for dropping Siddique.

But ruling party spokesperson Ashraf said the party had taken two unanimous decisions on Siddique for hurting religious sentiments and violating the party's constitution.

The Central Working Committee sat in the Ganabhaban only hours after the Cabinet issued a gazette notification.

All this is unfolding when Siddique is abroad.

Amid criticisms, he said he would act upon Hasina's orders but would not apologise for his remarks.