Enter the wife, exit the brother: Raushon replaces Quader as deputy opposition leader

Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad has removed GM Quader as the deputy leader of the official opposition in parliament, hours after sacking his brother as the party’s co-chair.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 23 March 2019, 02:26 PM
Updated : 23 March 2019, 02:26 PM

Ershad has replaced Quader for the key parliament role with his wife and Senior Co-Chairman, Raushon, according to a letter the party wrote to parliament.

On Friday, Ershad dismissed Quader as the party's co-chairman citing his 'failures', after several attempts to install him as his heir.

“I removed Golam Mohammad Quader as co-chair of the Jatiya Party, the leader of opposition in the parliament and chairman of the parliamentary standing committee. Now Raushon Ershad has been nominated for the post of deputy leader of opposition,” reads the letter.

The decision was taken in line with the party’s constitution, it said.

But Khaled Akhter, a member of the party’s presidium, told bdnews24.com that Ershad had unilaterally made the decision on Quader’s removal and that it had not come from any meeting of the parliamentary committee.

On Jan 1, Ershad had named his brother as his successor in a statement sent days after parliamentary elections. During the absence of Ershad, Raushon’s followers had made their feelings about Quader known in many meetings.

On different occasions, Quader had hinted at his cold relations with a section of leaders of the party.

Raushon and her followers had earlier foiled Ershad’s bids to make Quader his successor.

Known for his erratic decisions, Ershad had removed Raushon as the leader of the official opposition in parliament after her five years in the office following the last general election. He himself holds the post now while Quader was the deputy leader of the official opposition.

Quader's dispute with Raushon goes back a long time. After the 11th parliamentary elections, he admitted that he had arguments with her in the party’s policy meetings.

On being asked about the dispute, Khaled Akhter said, "Raushon is now active in the party."