No discussion on indemnity in London meeting: Salahuddin Ahmed

There was no discussion on anyone’s impunity in the meeting between chief adviser professor Muhammad Yunus and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) acting chairman Tarique Rahman in London, party’s standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed said on Monday.

Salahuddin Ahmed was addressing a seminar on current political affairs and the budget 2025-26 with a view to forming a welfare state, held at Tofazzal Hossain Manik Miah Hall at National Press Club.

Nagorik Oikya organised the seminar.

The meeting between Muhammad Yunus and Tarique Rahman was held in London on Friday. Following the meeting, a joint statement was issued that said the elections could be held in the first half of February next year if all the preparations are completed.

He further said there was no discussion on anyone’s indemnity in the London meeting. The advisory council has been constituted as per article 106 of the constitution.

As the constitution is in force, this is a constitutional government, he pointed out.

Salahuddin Ahmed said the decision that has been made following the decision in London will soon be communicated to the election commission (EC) through appropriate channels so that the election commission could tell the public that they received a message from the government.

Addressing the interim government, Salahuddin Ahmed said, “You will need ratification from the next parliament. Please keep this in mind, we will consider how the ratification will be given legitimacy and in which places. So, please take pro-democracy and pro-people initiatives so that we can move to the democratic process very soon.”

The BNP standing committee member also remarked that no measure has been taken in the budget to bring down the inflation rate.

According to him, 10 months is a sufficient time for preparing a budget. An elected government does not work for 12 months to prepare a budget; they pay attention to it three or four months prior (to the announcement). But the budget presented by the interim government is an regular budget.

Salahuddin Ahmed further said if the policy decisions of the budget comes from the bureaucratic level rather than a political party, it never becomes a pro-people budget. All of the decisions the politicians take in parliament are for marginal people.

Fascist Hasina regime in the last 16 years looted more than the British did in their long ruling period in this country, Salahuddin Ahmed remarked.

Nagorik Oikya president Mahmudur Rahman Manna chaired the seminar where Nagorik Oikya organising secretary Sakib Anwar read out a written speech.

Among others, Revolutionary Workers Party general secretary Saiful Islam, Nagorik Oikya general secretary Shahidullah Kaiser, Ganosamhati Andolan executive coordinator Abul Hasan, BASAD general secretary Bazlur Rashid, AB Party chairman Mojibur Rahman Monju, Bangladesh Teachers’ Union president Abul Bashar Hawlader also addressed the seminar.