Jatiya Party to run on Raushon’s instruction

The internal conflict between Jatiya Party top leaders Raushon Ershad and GM Quader seems to be resolved soon as they held a meeting again and reached an unwritten agreement on running the party activities on the basis of mutual understanding.

Jatiya Party chairman GM Quader held a meeting with party’s chief patron Raushon Ershad at her Gulshan residence in the capital on Sunday.

Jatiya Party secretary general Mujibul Haque Chunnu was also present in the meeting.

“The Jatiya Party is now going towards unification, skipping all types of conflict,” Raushon Ershad’s political secretary Golam Mosih told the Daily Sun, hinting at resolving all crises.

Insiders in the major opposition party in parliament said GM Quader placed some proposals at the meeting with Raushon, as he agreed to run the party on her instruction and withdraw expulsion orders of the party leaders, including former secretary general Moshiur Rahman Ranga and adviser to the chairman Ziaul Haque Mridha.

GM Quader also agreed to share nomination of the upcoming by-polls to five constituencies vacant for resigning by BNP lawmakers, with the leaders loyal to Raushon, and to work together with the leaders loyal to her, the sources added.

GM Quader also urged Raushon Ershad, also deputy leader of the opposition in parliament, to ask Moshiur Rahman Ranga and Ziaul Haque Mridha to withdraw cases filed against him (GM Quader). GM Quader also proposed that he wants to remain chairman of Jatiya Party.

“Under pressure, GM Quader has made a compromise with Raushon Ershad for the sake of his existence in the party. There was no alternative to him to go for an understanding,” a presidium member of Jatiya Party, loyal to GM Quader, wishing not to be named said.

Another leader said GM Quader, also deputy leader of the opposition, also agreed that Raushon Ershad will be chief guest at the party’s founding anniversary function to be held in the capital on January 1.

Raushon and GM Quader met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on December 13. The meeting was held at the Prime Minister’s official residence Ganabhaban. Rahgir Al Mahi Saad Ershad, elder son of late President HM Ershad, attended the meeting as well.

Later, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on December 14 upheld the verdict of a lower court that barred GM Quader from performing his duties as chairman of Jatiya Party.

Besides, a three-member bench led by Chief Justice Hasan Foyez Siddiqui also asked Dhaka Joint District Judge’s Court to quickly dispose of the petition filed by GM Quader against its verdict.     On October 30, Dhaka Joint District Sessions Judge Court-1 issued a temporary embargo on the political activities of GM Quader as the party chairman.

Ziaul Haque Mridha, who has been removed from Jatiya Party, filed the case against GM Quader on October 4.

Earlier, ice of internal conflict within Jatiya Party started melting as GM Quader met Raushon Ershad at hotel Westin in the capital on December 13. In the meeting, Raushon gave consent to the party’s nomination of Mostafizur Rahman Mostafa as a mayoral candidate for the Rangpur City Corporation.

However, after the meeting the crisis remained pending as GM Quader didn’t implement other issues.

Finally, under pressure from inside and outside the party, GM Quader was compelled to meet Raushon Ershad and make an understanding with her resolving the stalemate this time, party insiders said.

On her arrival from Bangkok, Raushon said on November 27, “I always want unity of Jatiya Party…there is no question on splitting the party. I’m sure, we’ll be able to eliminate the misunderstanding and return to the political programme unitedly soon.”

She called upon those who left Jatiya Party at different times with Anwar Hossain Manju, Naziur Rahman Manzur and Kazi Jafar Ahmed to return to the party.

“We must give due recognition to those who were with us during the difficult and adverse times of Jatiya Party from 1991 to 1996,” she said.

In the wake of the longstanding internal dispute, some party leaders have taken the side of GM Quader while some others have taken the side of Raushon Ershad.

Some other leaders also have been creating pressure on both sides to maintain unity for the sake of the existence of the party.

Party insiders said the internal conflict deepened as GM Quader hinted at making an alliance with BNP and expelled some pro-Raushon leaders, including Moshiur Rahman Ranga and Ziaul Haque Mridha.

At the same time, GM Quader also started taking all party decisions bypassing Raushon Ershad in the name of authority given by the party charter, the sources added.

Raushon Ershad has already declared that Jatiya Party would not make any alliance with the BNP ahead of the next national election.

GM Quader has remained away from the party activities since October 31 following a court bar to his political activities as the party chairman.

Source: Daily Sun