Speaker gets letter about Latif Siddique’s expulsion from ruling party

The Awami League has finally sent a letter to Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury informing her that sacked minister Abdul Latif Siddique was expelled from the party's primary membership.

The ruling party took more than eight months to inform the Speaker of the party's decision.

The latest move of the AL raises questions whether Latif would remain as an MP after his expulsion from the party.

Latif Siddique, currently a lawmaker from Tangail-4  constituency, was expelled from the party on October 24 last year, and the AL's letter was received by the Speaker on July 5.

“I received the letter on July 5 and I am taking measures as per law,” Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury told The Daily Star yesterday.

The Speaker, however, denied making any comments on Latif's fate as an MP.

Sources said the letter was signed by party General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam.

There was widespread criticisms and uproar at home and abroad after Latif made derogatory comments about Hajj, Tablighi Jamaat and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) at a programme in the USA on September 28 last year.

On October 12, Latif was sacked from his position as the telecommunications and information technology minister and was also removed from party presidium, the highest policy-making body of the party.

He lost his primary membership in the AL on October 24 last year.

Latif was freed from jail on June 29 after he had obtained bail in cases filed against him for hurting religious sentiments of the Muslims.

On November 25 last year, a Dhaka court sent the sacked minister to prison after he surrendered before police in a case filed over his derogatory remarks.

Two days before his surrender, Latif returned from India, where he had laid low for a while allegedly to avoid the public outrage over his comments.