Shohel Taj”s resignation remains a riddle

The resignation of state minister for home affairs Tanjim Ahmed Shohel Taj remained a riddle.
On Monday evening Taj tendered his resignation, but the Cabinet Division senior official said that they did not receive any resignation letter from the state minister for home affairs. But the Prime Minister and the Awami League sources have confirmed about the submission of resignation letter by the state minister for home affairs.
The official system of resignation from the cabinet is that the person intending to resign from the cabinet would send his resignation letter to the Prime Minister through the cabinet division. But Shohel Taj handed over his resignation letter to the Prime Minister directly.
Home affairs minister Shahara Katoon on Tuesday avoided direct answer about her deputy”s resignation. She told the journalist that her deputy was given leave up to June 23, 2009. On the other hand, Shohel Taj himself confirmed that he tendered his resignation, but the Prime Minister advised him to take leave.
The Awami League source said, the son of the country”s first Prime Minister the late Tajuddin Ahmed, tendered resignation out of frustration. He could not reconcile himself as the state minister when Dr Dipu Moni was made full cabinet minister. He could not also establish a good rapport with Shahara Khatoon because he feels himself superior.
It was told that at the time of appointment as the state minister, Sohel Taj was assured that his responsibilities as the state minister would be identified, but till the day he was not given any fixed responsibility other than talking with the media.
Very recently he had been told verbally to look after the Dhaka Metropolitan Police administration, but in practice he could not discharge his assigned responsibilities free from the interference.
His latest position about the ”crossfire” by the security forces has also been misunderstood with the recent ”crossfire” incident in which two BCL activists of the Dhaka Polytechnique Institute were killed. Taj changing his earlier position defended limited ”crossfire” to maintain the law and order situation. Earlier the state minister denounced the crossfire system.
The Prime Minister, according to the source, persuaded Shohel Taj to withdraw his resignation letter, because she felt that resignation from the cabinet within six months of the formation of the cabinet would be embarrassing. Taj, the source said, left the Prime Minister”s office without making any comment about the withdrawal of resignation letter. He will leave for the US very shortly and would return back on June 23 and thereafter he would fix up his mind.
UNB adds: His senior, Home Minister Advocate Sahara Khatun, Tuesday said that she didn”t know about the resignation of Sohel Taj while press reports have it that he submitted his resignation letter Monday and went on leave.
“How could I know?” I know nothing about it,” the Home Minister told reporters at her office on Tuesday.
She said Sohel Taj applied for leave from June 6 to 23 and “I passed on the application to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after signing on it”.
Replying to a question, Sahara said he is like her son and there is no conflict between the two custodians of the Home Ministry under the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
“He had told me just seven days back about his going on leave,” the minister said, adding that there was no discussion in the cabinet meeting over the issue on Monday.
Rumors went flying Monday that Sohel Taj, son of country”s first prime minister Tajuddin Ahmed and the youngest member of the cabinet, tendered his resignation to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the afternoon at the Prime Minister”s Office.
There was no official confirmation of his resignation as of the time of filing of this report at 4:00pm Tuesday.

Courtesy of The News Today