Awami League has no right to expel me : Latif

Awami League has no right to cancel the membership of former minister Abdul Latif Siddiqui.  Latif said this Sunday in a reply to the Election Commission`s (EC) query about his membership.

Latif requested the EC to avoid the hearing dispute and send the issue to the speaker for resolution instead. Latif’s personal secretary Md. Rubel sent EC the letter written on the pad for parliament members on Sunday.

“Even if I hurt the religious feeling of people with my statement, it cannot be a valid reason to expel me from the party. Because, whatever I said, said as a public representative, not as a party member. The party has taken such decision entirely on some misinterpretation. It has no authority to do so”, Latif said.

Earlier on July 13, Awami League issued a letter to the speaker of the parliament Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury saying the party had taken the decision to take the membership away from Abdul Latif Siddiqui, which makes the parliamentary membership of Latif invalid as well. So the party requested the speaker to take proper initiative regarding this.

The speaker sent the letter to EC and asked the Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakib Uddin Ahmed about this issue. The EC then sent letters to Latif and the party as well asking explanation on this.