GM Quader joins meeting at Badruddoza’s home

HM Ershad’s brother and his Jatiya Party’s Co-Chairman GM Quader has joined a meeting at Bikalpadhara Bangladesh President AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury’s home.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 2 August 2017, 05:02 PM
Updated : 3 August 2017, 01:51 PM

JSD President ASM Abdur Rab, General Secretary Abdul Malek Ratan, Nagorik Oikya Convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna and Gano Forum’s Executive President Subrata Chowdhury also attended the meeting at the Baridhara residence on Wednesday evening.

It was Rab who hosted a  gathering at his Uttara house on the night of July 13 with Badruddoza Chowdhury, Abdul Kader Siddique, Manna, Subrata Chowdhury in attendance among others before police had gatecrashed it.

These politicians have been talking about forging a third bloc beyond the alliances headed by the Awami League and the BNP. But conspicuous by his presence was GM Quader, whose party is a powerful component of the AL-led coalition.

Journalists were taken to the second floor of the house at one stage of the meeting.

There, Quader said, ”I’am here because a former president, who is an important personality, has invited me. We have discussed many issues.”

The host, Badruddoza Chowdhury, added, ”Those of us who think about this country sat together.”

Speaking to bdnews24.com, a leader of Bikalpadhara said: “Badruddoza Chowdhury had invited leaders of some political parties to dinner. Some matters were discussed over the dinner.”

“They exchanged views among themselves about whether a third coalition can be floated in the current political context,” added the leader who refused to be quoted by name.

The Bikalpadhara leader said Krishak Sramik Janata League (KSJL) chief Kader Siddique did not come because he was out of Dhaka.

Badruddoza Chowdhury’s son and the party’s Joint Secretary General Mahi B Chowdhury and Rab's wife, Tania, also attended the meeting.

At 11:30pm, after the meeting ended, Manna told bdnews24.com on being asked: "We will do something, but we can't reveal it now. You'll know about it when the time comes."

Rab said they would hold more such parleys.

"We want to break the culture of intolerance among the politicians," said Mahi.

Badruddoza Chowdhury, Kader Siddique and Rab formed an alliance called NDF before the 2014 general elections they stayed away from along with the BNP.

Ershad first announced boycott of the election but later took part in it after much drama. His brother Quader, however, was in favour of the boycott and lost his seat in parliament.

He was vocal against the Jatiya Party playing the dual role of both the opposition and government.

Ershad is now Special Envoy of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina while his wife, Raushon, senior co-chairman of Jatiya Party, is Leader of the Opposition in Parliament. 

Ershad announced last year that Quader succeed him at the helm of the party but later backed off facing opposition within.

Badruddoza Chowdhury, Manna and Rab are up to forming the alliance without the Awami League and BNP ahead of the 11th parliamentary election scheduled to be held by early 2019.

Ershad, known for changing decisions constantly, has been saying that his party will go it alone in the election.

Before the election, the BNP wants to widen its alliance, while the Awami League is yet to make a decision on whether to retain the ruling coalition it heads.