Manna says his remark on Awami League was a joke

A day after describing himself as an 'idiot' for being with the Awami League, Mahmudur Rahman claims it was only a joke.

Speaking at a discussion on Saturday, the Nagorik Oikya convener said it was 'stupid' of him to join the party but it did not take long for him to realise their 'true colours'.

'Joined Awami League because I was an idiot'

He, however, backtracked on Sunday describing the whole thing as a joke in a Facebook post.

Manna was part of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal or JSD when it was formed after breaking away from the Awami League following independence.

He, later, joined the Socialist Party of Bangladesh or BaSaD after JSD split. He was elected twice as the vice-president of Dhaka University Central Students' Union or DUCSU.

He joined the Awami League in the 90s and became an organising secretary.

Manna lost his post in the Awami League for demanding reforms to the party during the 2007-08 army-backed emergency regime.

In a Facebook post, he said the remarks were in response to a joke made by Gono Forum presidium member Subrata Chowdhury at the discussion.

Manna claimed that he didn't mean that joining the Awami League was foolish of him and that he still thinks it was not a mistake. "I did not join the party for any benefit."

He also said he had learnt a lot from the party and its leader in three decades, describing it as his 'heartfelt confession'.

Manna, who had been behind bars for over a year recently on treason charges, came down hard on the ruling party during Saturday's discussion at the National Press Club auditorium.