Some Jatiya Party presidium members 'agree on leaving government'

A number of Jatiya Party presidium members have agreed that the party should leave the government, Co-Chairman GM Quader told media on Sunday.

“Those who attended the meeting said it was necessary for the sake of politics. The decision will be implemented later upon the chairman’s instructions,” he said.

The meeting, presided by party chief HM Ershad, was attended by 24 of the 37 presidium members. The other 13 including, Opposition Leader Raushon Ershad, did not attend.

Senior leaders like ministers Anisul Islam Mahmud, Mujibul Haque and Moshiur Rahman Ranga, recently-sacked secretary general Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu, Opposition Chief Whip Md Tajul Islam Choudhury and Kazi Firoz Rashid did not take part in the meeting.

The last time the party presidium met was in September 2013 before the Tenth National Election.

Relations between Ershad and his wife Raushon soured at the time over taking participation in the elections.

The former military dictator announced he would boycott the polls, an announcement  followed by the withdrawal of nominations by a faction of MP aspirants, including GM Quader.

Amid much drama, the party contested the polls and then sat both in the government and in the opposition.

Ershad was appointed special envoy to the PM, his wife the Leader of Opposition while party leaders Anisul Islam Mahmud, Mujibul Haque and Mashiur Rahman Ranga were made ministers.

Since then the issue of leaving the government had been raised several times, but according to media reports, it did not gain momentum as the JP Parliamentary Party opposed it.

A power struggle within the party’s leadership flung open when Ershad appointed his brother GM Quader as co-chairman and his successor.

A section of the party’s MPs and presidium members who are known to be close to the ruling Awami League announced Raushon as the acting chairman.

Ershad’s next move was to sack secretary general Bablu and bring back his trusted lieutenant Ruhul Amin Howlader for the post.

Party MPs revolted against Ershad over the appointments, but the deposed president said he would not budge from his decisions.

Speaking at a media briefing on Jan 26, GM Quader said the party’s stance was not clear to the people as it was both in government and in opposition.

However, after a meeting with the prime minister on Thursday, Raushon made it clear that they had no intentions to leave the government.