Muhammad Yunus ‘thinking about’ resigning as Bangladesh's interim govt chief: ‘Feels somewhat embarrassed’

Bangladesh's interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, reportedly threatened to resign if parties do not give him their backing, a political ally and sources in his office said Thursday. Rumours about the chief adviser’s possible resignation had been circulating on social media since Thursday afternoon.

Nahid Islam, leader of the National Citizen Party, confirmed that Yunus was “thinking about resigning”. He held a private conversation with the chief adviser amid the rumours, sources told Dhaka Tribune.

“We have been hearing news of sir's resignation regarding the current situation in the country since this morning. So, I went to meet sir to discuss that matter,” Nahid Islam told BBC Bangla.

“He says he's thinking about it. He feels like the situation is such that he won't be able to work,” Nahid said.

Nahid Islam — who had initially been part of Yunus's cabinet before resigning to form a political party — reportedly “urged him to remain in office”.

Yunus 'feels somewhat embarrassed'

It was also learned that the chief adviser sought cooperation from all parties. Bangladesh-based Daily Star reported that Yunus expressed discontent about relentless protests over myriad demands.

Muhammad Yunus, the 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner who leads the caretaker government as its chief advisor until elections, told his cabinet he wanted to quit if political parties did not give him their full support, a source inside his office said.

Meanwhile, a source told Dhaka Tribune, “The chief adviser feels somewhat embarrassed due to the continuous agitation on various issues recently. He does not want to remain in office if he cannot work independently. This situation was discussed during the meeting.”

Nahid also quoted Yunus as saying, “I cannot work like this. The political parties cannot reach a common ground.”

Bangladesh in turmoil

Yunus's reported threat to stand down comes a day after thousands of supporters of the powerful Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) rallied in Dhaka, holding large-scale protests against the interim government for the first time.

The BNP, on Thursday, reportedly issued a stark warning that it may be forced to reconsider its cooperation with Yunus' interim government if a specific roadmap for holding the next general election within December next is not announced immediately.

Elections, whenever held, will end Yunus' term as the Chief Adviser to the interim government of Bangladesh.