The cabinet decided to remove Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Abdul Latif Siddique from the cabinet for his reported remarks against hajj, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina`s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, Tablighi Jamaat and expatiate Bangladeshis in New York. The decision came on Tuesday afternoon just after Hefajat-e-Islam Bangladesh has given a 48-hour ultimatum to the government to remove Abdul Latif Siddique from the cabinet. Earlier at a programme organised by Awami League Tangail unit in the US on Sunday, the minister, who is in NY as part of the PM`s entourage, said he was against hajj and Tablighi Jamaat more than he detested the Jamaat-e-Islami. “Hajj is waste of manpower,” he said. “Those who perform hajj do not have any productivity. They deduct from the economy, spend a lot of money abroad.” Those in Tablighi Jamaat do not have anything else to do but block roads during a rally, he said. Regarding PM`s son Joy, the minister said: “Who is Joy?” Latif Siddique also slammed a journalist on the spot for “asking too many questions”. “You are invited here, act like a guest and sit quiet.” —risingbd.com
