BANGLADESH

Taking 'full responsibility' for the recent cash scandal involving one of his personal aides, railway minister Suranjit Sengupta stood down on Monday.

Suranjit, who took over the newly-craved ministry barely five months back, made the announcement at a press briefing at the capital's Rail Bhaban after days of drama and suspense.

He met prime minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence Ganabhaban Sunday night, first time since the scandal surfaced.

"Even though I was not linked to the incident, I am resigning to strengthen democracy," he told the press conference.

The resignation letter will be sent to the prime minister later, the ruling Awami League's advisory council member told reporters.

He came under pressure after his assistant personal secretary (APS) Omar Faruq Talukder was detained by the Border Guard Bangladesh personnel in the early hours of Apr 10 with unaccounted-for Tk 7 million in the car carrying Faruq and two top railway officials.

The officials are Railway Division (east zone) Yusuf Ali Mridha and Government Railway Police (GRP) (Dhaka zone) commandant Enamul Haque.

Mridha and Enamul were temporarily suspended and Faruq was fired on Sunday.

The ministry has asked the Bangladesh Bank to freeze Faruq and his wife Marzia Farhana's bank accounts and to investigate their banking transactions.

Opposition BNP has been claiming that the minister is also linked to the scandal and called for his resignation. But, Suranjit had rejected the demand saying, "The opposition hasn't given me the post ... I won't leave the post on their demand."

But after he met party president Hasina on Sunday night at Ganabhaban, rumours were rife that he was going to step down. The gossips grew when he was absent in the regular Cabinet meeting on Monday morning.

Though his briefing was supposed to begin at 12pm, Suranjit arrived at Rail Bhaban after 12:30pm and came to the conference room a 1:45pm with railway director general Abu Taher and railway secretary Fazle Kabir after spending some time at his chamber.

"I won't say much today. I won't take any questions and won't answer any either," he said at the beginning of the 20-minute briefing.

He said, "The incident is fully my responsibility, it is neither my party's nor the government's. I met the prime minister last Sunday for about an hour after she returned home. I expressed my desire to her to resign and she agreed."

Explaining the situation, he said, "A new debate has risen over the incident of Apr 10. People are saying many things. As my APS and two railway officials were linked to the incident, this is a responsibility of my ministry."

A very depressed Suranjit, who has been in politics for over 50 years, told the media call, "Everyone has been benefitted in many ways in 40 years of independence of Bangladesh. But I'm feeling sad to say this that no one made sacrifices in those years."

"I'm facing a difficult test at the end of my life," he added.

Protesting his innocence, he said, "Most of the people barring some intellectuals and a couple of people in my party have asked me whether the investigation would be free of influence if I am in office. I have to take responsibility for this incident to strengthen democracy. Though I'm not linked, I've decided to resign."

However, he put this resignation 'just a break' in his journey in Bangladesh's politics.

"I'll prove my innocence and will be back in politics in a transparent manner," Suranjit said.

After the press briefing, Suranjit held his last meeting with top railway officials at Rail Bhaban's conference room on the sixth floor. He urged the officials to keep up the good work achieved in the last several months.

Suranjit then left the Rail Bhaban around 3pm in a black jeep.

Suranjit, who has been MP in most parliaments formed since independence, took oath as the railway minister on Nov 28 last year. This is the first time Suranjit became a minister. During Awami League's last tenure, he was Hasina's parliament affairs advisor.

He joined Awami League in the early 1990s. He was a member of the country's first committee to constitute the charter and co-chairman of the special committee on the 15th Amendment to the Constitution.

Suranjit was also the head of the parliamentary standing committee on the law, justice and parliamentary affairs ministry until recently.