Yunus, often called the 'banker to the poor' for his efforts in fighting poverty, was the top choice of protesting students to be the chief adviser to the interim government.
The proposal to make Yunus the leader of the interim government was accepted at the meeting. The meeting was attended by the student leaders of the quota agitation and the chiefs of the three forces.
After the meeting, the student leaders spoke to the media and confirmed that the interim government will be formed soon under Yunus's leadership. They also submitted a list of 10-14 prominent individuals to be part of this interim government.
Yunus, 83, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his groundbreaking work in helping millions out of poverty. He has faced over 190 charges from the Hasina government and had many conflicts with them in the past. Yunus was forced out of his role as managing director of Grameen Bank because he was over the legal retirement age of 60.
Earlier reports from the Daily Star mentioned that the student movement coordinators, who led the protests, wanted Yunus to lead the interim government. Nahid Islam, one of the key coordinators of this movement, shared a video on social media saying that Professor Yunus had agreed to take on the responsibility considering the current situation of the country.
"We have decided that an interim government will be formed in which internationally renowned Nobel Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus, who has wide acceptability, will be the chief adviser," announced Nahid of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.
Muhammad Yunus, born in 1940 in Chittagong, studied at Dhaka University before moving to the United States to study economics at Vanderbilt University. He was previously convicted for violating the country's labor laws.
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