Ershad hopes PM will allow Jatiya Party ministers to resign

HM Ershad has termed 'shameful' Jatiya Party having its leaders as ministers despite being the opposition in parliament.

He says the ministers will resign from the cabinet once Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gives the go-ahead.

The Jatiya Party chairman, speaking at a news conference at his Banani office on Thursday, faced questions about the resignation of party ministers, an issue he had spoken about several times before.

"We are the opposition, though we are also in the government. We have three ministers. It's a matter of shame for us," he said.

"I hope we will get rid of this shame one day," he added.

Jatiya Party Presidium Member Anisul Islam Mahmud is Water Resources Minister in Hasina's cabinet.

Its leaders Mujibul Haque Chunnu and Mashiur Rahman Ranga are state ministers for labour and rural development resepectively.

Ershad's wife, Jatiya Party Senior Co-Chairman Raushon Ershad, is the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament while Ershad himself is Special Envoy to the Prime Minister.

On being asked whether he is resigning his special envoy post as well, Ershad said, "We all will have to resign. I have spoken to her (Hasina) about the matter. I don't want to dishonour her without consulting her about resigning from a post she has given me."

Asked when, he said, "Permission is needed for this. I hope we will get it within some days."

He also faced questions about the presence of his brother Jatiya Party Co-Chairman GM Quader at a meeting of politicians from several parties at Bikalpadhara Bangladesh Chairman AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury's house on Wednesday night.

He replied: "The prime minister had invited former president Badruddoza Chowdhury to an Iftar party, which means he is not against the government. He sat beside me at the programme. Doesn't it mean that he is in our alliance?"  

About efforts to forge an alliance leaving the Awami League and the BNP out, he said, "Some political issues were discussed there (at Badruddoza's house), but nothing concrete to reach a decision."

"We will discuss it in our presidium forum and take a decision after the discussion," he added.