Yunus Govt asks two student advisors to step down under pressure from BNP and Jamaat

DHAKA: Reports say the interim government in Bangladesh is reportedly facing a serious crisis. The crisis intensified when the head of the interim government, Muhammad Yunus, asked two people who were behind the student protests that led to the ouster of Sheikh Hasina's government, to resign from the cabinet. The report says the two were asked to resign at the insistence of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its former ally, Jamaat-e-Islami.

The information and broadcasting advisor Mahfuz Alam and local self-government advisor Asif Mahmud Zojib Bhuyan were asked to resign. Although they are advisors, they hold ministerial berths. Although it is not clear why they were asked to step down, reports indicate that this is due to doubts raised from some quarters about the impartiality of the two. There have been allegations that religious fundamentalists are gaining a foothold in the Bangladesh government.

Mahfuz Alam and Asif Mahmud Zojib were appointed ministers after they played a significant role in ousting Hasina from power. Student representatives have also had a falling out with Yunus. Nahid Islam had recently left the government and focused on the activities of the National Citizen Party (NCP).

The interim government is trying to hold elections in the country by February. Yunus fears that he will have to go into political exile after the elections. Therefore, it is reported that he is trying his best to delay the elections.