Yunus did not follow constitutional provisions as CA: President Shahabuddin to Kaler Kantho

President Mohammed Shahabuddin has said Muhammad Yunus repeatedly failed to follow constitutional provisions during his tenure as chief adviser.

In an exclusive interview with Kaler Kantho at Bangabhaban on Friday night (20 February), he also stated that many of the ordinances issued at the time were unnecessary and lacked constitutional justification.

Reflecting on the decisions and developments of that period, the president said that while some ordinances may have been issued due to immediate exigencies, in his view, many were unnecessary.

He alleged that the former chief adviser did not adhere to the requirements set out in the Constitution.

According to the Constitution, whenever the chief adviser travels abroad, upon return, he is required to meet the president and brief him on the outcomes of the visit, the president said.

The chief adviser is also obliged to inform the president in writing about the discussions held, agreements reached and the nature of engagements undertaken, he added.

Mohammed Shahabuddin told Kaler Kantho, “He travelled abroad perhaps 14 to 15 times. Not once did he inform me. Not once did he come to see me.”

The president stated that during that period, he received the highest level of support from the armed forces.

“They told me only one thing: ‘Your Excellency, you are the supreme commander of the armed forces. Your defeat would mean the defeat of the entire armed forces. We will prevent that at any cost.’ In the end, they did exactly that. They came to me at different times and boosted my morale.”

He also claimed that there was another attempt from within the interim government to remove him from office.

On that occasion as well, the chiefs of the three services stood by him and conveyed directly to the head of the interim government that they would not allow any unconstitutional action to take place, the president added.

When a mob was mobilised in front of Bangabhaban, the armed forces maintained the same firm position, he told Kaler Kantho.

Reflecting on whether he had anyone by his side during those difficult times, President Shahabuddin said he could state unequivocally that the top leadership of the BNP stood beside him and expressed their commitment to preserving constitutional continuity.

He added that he had long harboured considerable curiosity about BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman but gradually came to regard him as a deeply sincere and cordial individual.

In his time of distress, he said, the BNP’s cooperation was absolute.