London, January 15 (UITV)- Tulip Siddiqui, niece of ousted former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and UK Labour Party MP, resigned from the post of Treasury Minister on Tuesday. Her move came after Bangladesh’s interim government’s chief adviser Muhammad Yunus demanded an investigation into the use of her and her family’s properties. Tulip Siddiqui was accused of misusing the properties given to her family by the former Bangladesh regime. However, Siddiqui denied these allegations and cited the need to avoid interference of family relations in the work of the government as the reason for resigning.
Tulip Siddiqui said in her resignation letter that she was not found guilty of violating the ministerial code and the monitoring body had confirmed that she worked with complete transparency. She also clarified that she decided to resign to avoid any kind of distraction in the work of the government. Her move was significant as speculations of her resignation were already rife, especially after Bangladesh’s key adviser Muhammad Yunus demanded an investigation into her and her family’s use of properties.
The case began after reports appeared in the UK media that Tulip Siddiqui had used a flat in north London given to her by her sister Azmina. Azmina is Sheikh Hasina’s niece and the property was reportedly given to her by a businessman associated with Hasina’s Awami League party. Apart from this, another property was mentioned, located in central London, which was gifted to Tulip by Hasina’s close associates.
After this, some media reports claimed that Tulip Siddiqui has also been named in an ongoing anti-corruption investigation in Bangladesh. According to reports, she was accused of fraudulently acquiring land in a diplomatic area near Dhaka. However, Tulip completely distanced herself from these allegations and called these claims baseless.
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Tulip Siddiqui’s resignation was supported by Britain’s opposition leader, Sir Keir Starmer. He praised Tulip’s resignation and made it clear that her resignation was a difficult decision, but he considered it a proper step. Starmer said, “I also want to make it clear that the independent advisor, Sir Laurie Magnus, has assured me that he has not found any violation of the ministerial code and has not found any evidence of financial irregularities on your part.”
He thanked Tulip for his cooperation and said that the doors will be open for him in the future. It was also told that Tulip had followed the advice of the officials with complete transparency and the government’s focus will remain on the issues even after his resignation.
Tulip Siddiqui made it clear in his resignation that his family ties are publicly known, but he always worked following the advice of the British officials. According to her, the decision to resign from the ministerial post was taken only so that her family ties do not have any adverse effect on the working style of the government. By this step, she showed that she values public responsibility and transparency and does not want to put her personal relations above professional responsibilities.
Tulip Siddiqui’s resignation was not limited to a personal matter, but it could also affect the political and diplomatic relations between Britain and Bangladesh. The demand for investigation by Muhammad Yunus, a key advisor to the interim government of Bangladesh, further intensified the ongoing action against corruption in Bangladesh. Apart from this, this incident also shows that family ties between Bangladesh and Britain can lead to political pressure and public accusations, which can be sensitive for both countries.
Tulip Siddiqui’s resignation is an important political event, which raises important questions about transparency, accountability and the influence of family ties on public positions. Though he was not convicted of any corruption, he decided to resign from his post to avoid any interference in the work of the government due to family ties. This incident also highlights that persons working in public positions should work with more transparency and responsibility to avoid any kind of controversy.
