Only Jatiya Party in power can make me live longer: Ershad tells supporters

Former military dictator HM Ershad once again wants to be in power in order to 'live longer'.

The octogenarian Jatiya Party chief made the remarks on Sunday at a rally on the party's founding day.

Addressing the Suhrawardy Udyan rally, Ershad, now a special envoy to the prime minister, said the 2019 election will be the last one of his life.

"I am nearing the end of my days. How much longer will I live…The Jatiya Party needs to be in power once again to make me live. Give me a new life," he told supporters.

Ershad said his last wish was to see his party in power again. "The opportunity has come. We need strength to go to power and that depends on you. Strengthen the party."

He said Jatiya Party would introduce provincial government and revise the Upazila system if it were in power. "The UNOs (administration chiefs) now rule in the Upazilas. We want the people's representative doing the job."

The Jatiya Party will also offer quotas for religious minorities in Parliament, government jobs and higher education.