BCL claims PM will suspend all quotas

FT ONLINE

Ruling Awami League’s top student cadres have claimed that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has announced the suspension of all preferential quotas for government employment.

The president and general secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra League, Saifur Rahma Shohag and SM Jakir Hossain, said in a hastily organised press conference at 1pm that, Sheikh Hasina, also the Awami League president, told them there would be no quotas in the public system during a meeting earlier this morning.

Jakir Hossain, the Awami League generatl secretary, told the press at the briefing, “There is no further justification of campaigning after such an announcement.”

Claiming to have been backing the campaign to reform preferential quotas, several top chhatra league, leaders present at the press briefing said they had been coordinating with the authorities and had always been on the side of the general students.

Saifur Rahman Sohag said they had a meeting with the PM over the issue.

“The PM does what she says. She promised that there will be no more quotas in government employment. We thank the PM for such a decision,” the BCL president said in his official Facebook page.

Several student wing members have however resigned publicly stating that they could not reconcile with the official policy of the ruling party student wing to oppose the popular campaign that has been rocking Dhaka and many parts of the country over the last couple of days.

However, there has been no official announcement from any minister, or the Prime Minister or any significant office bearer of the government.

Despite the announcement, there has been no indication how this announcement will be formalised as regards regulations and gazette notifications.

Neither has there been any confirmation that the PMO has instructed the relevant civil service department to make appropriate arrangements for the announcement to be implemented legally within a short time.