Two Islamist parties have agreed in principle with the student leaders on the demand for President Mohammed Shahabuddin's removal, while the BNP says it will announce its decision after discussing the matter at party forum.

The Islamist parties are the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Islami Andolan Bangladesh.

The Anti-Discrimination Student Movement and the Jatiya Nagorik Committee have been holding discussions with the political parties to reach a consensus on the issue over the past few days.

They met BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir at the party chairperson's Gulshan office in the capital yesterday.

BNP Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed and Joint Secretary General Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie were also present.

"At the meeting, they heard our arguments and said they would let us know [about their decision] after discussing the matter at their party forum," Hasnat Abdullah, convener of the movement, told reporters after the meeting that started at 5:15pm yesterday.

Party insiders said BNP leaders listened to the student leaders but did not speak much during the two-hour meeting.

They said they had doubts about several factors, including whether there is any vested interests behind the efforts to remove the president, and the aftermath of his resignation.

They said the president's removal may create a constitutional vacuum, and the party is dead set against seeing such a constitutional crisis.

This was the second meeting between the BNP and the two platforms in the last three days, with the first one held on Thursday.

Hasnat said they were holding discussions with the political parties about their proposed new political framework.

The discussion with the BNP focused on three key points – how to establish and proclaim a 'Second Republic'; ways to remove the president at the earliest opportune time to address the political crisis; and how to maintain national unity while ensuring effective governance, he said.

The BNP leaders took note of the two other issues raised by the students, but did not say anything about those.

Hasnat said they would also sit with the Gono Forum, the 12-Party Alliance, and the Gono Odhikar Parishad to discuss these issues today.

Earlier on Thursday night, a delegation of the student movement and nagorik committee went to BNP leader Salahuddin's house, where BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi was also present.

Sources said the leaders of the two platforms argued in favour of their demand for the president's removal. They said President Shahabuddin had misconducted himself and so should be removed. If action were not taken, the interim government's legitimacy would be called into question, they added.

Earlier, on October 23, three top BNP leaders, including Salahuddin, met Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus and warned of a  potential constitutional crisis as a consequence of the president's removal.

After yesterday's meeting, Hasnat said they sat with the Jamaat and the Islami Andolan in the last two days, and both parties clarified their stance, agreeing on the demand for the president's removal.

Some parties and alliances, including the Ganatantra Mancha, the Jatiyatabadi Somomona Jote, Bangladesh Jatiya Party led by Andaleeve Rahman Partho, have backed the BNP on its stance that a constitutional crisis should not be created by removing the president.

The October 25 meeting with the Jamaat took place at its central office in Moghbazar, where Jamaat Secretary General Mia Ghulam Parwar, Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, and Assistant Secretary General Hamidur Rahman Azad were present.

Meeting sources told The Daily Star that the Jamaat agreed in principle with the demand for the president's removal but emphasised that any action should be based on political consensus.

Five movement leaders, including Hasnat, met Islami Andolan Ameer Syed Muhammad Rezaul Karim, Presidium member Ashraf Ali Akon and Senior Joint Secretary General Gazi Ataur Rahman at Purana Paltan yesterday.

Besides the demand to remove the president, the student leaders raised the topic of constitutional reforms.

According to sources, the Islami Andolan believes that President Shahabuddin has violated his oath by allegedly falsifying information about the resignation of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, and, therefore, cannot remain in office.

About rewriting the constitution, the party said it did not want comprehensive constitutional changes, rather it favoured cancelling the amendments made by the Awami League between 2009 and 2024.

It also insisted on annulling the three elections held between 2014 and 2024.

Regarding potential constitutional complications in case of removing the president, the party's Joint Secretary General Ataur told The Daily Star, "The prime minister's sudden departure did not create a crisis. Also, the current president was appointed by the ousted prime minister."