Jatiya Party has fallen in fresh trouble after its chief patron Raushan Ershad has declared herself as chairman of the party following the party’s debacle in the January 7 general elections.
After a views-exchange meeting at her residence at Gulshan on Sunday, Raushan Erashad, outgoing opposition leader in Parliament, came up with the announcement and relieved JP chairman GM Quader and secretary general Mujibul Haque Chunnu from their respective posts.
She also made Kazi Mamunur Rashid, one of her trusted aids, as the secretary general of the party.
“As per section 20 (a) of the party constitution, I have relieved GM Quader and Mujibul Haque Chunnu from their respective posts,” she said.
The JP secured the second highest number of seats in parliament after participating in the 12th parliamentary polls through a negotiation with the ruling Awami League. The AL left 26 seats for the JP. But it got only 11 candidates.
Commotion brewed up in the party since the party’s debacle in the polls. Many contestants withdrew them from the race and brought allegations against the top brass for not co-operating them during the polls. Even, the top brass did not pick up phone calls.
The crisis has deepened further after the expulsion of some leaders for raising voice against the top leadership after the party’s humiliating defeat in the polls.
At a briefing, JP secretary general Chunnu ruled the decision of Raushaon Ershad saying that they do not bother about the announcement as she (Raushon) has taken such decisions in the past.
“This is not for the first time… It is for the third time. She has made such announcement twice in the past and later she has withdrawn the decision. So, being the secretary general, I am not taking her decision into consideration. It is unconstitutional and she does not have the authority to take such decision,” he said.
“She was a widow of our former chairman Hussain Mohamamd Ershad. We respect her and we have made her the chief patron on that ground. It is an ornamental post. The chief patron does not have the authority to take any decision about the party,” he added.
The feud between the party president and chief patron came to the fore afresh just before the January 7 national elections.
Raushon Ershad alleged that GM Quader, Brother of HM Ershad, took the helm of the party through coups and leaders, loyal to Raushon were not given the nomination to contest the recently held general elections with plough symbol.
Rahgir Almahi Saad, son of Ershad, was the lawmaker for Rangpur-3 constituency. Instead of nominating Saad, GM Quader contested the polls from that seat. As a result, both Raushon and Saad did not participate in the polls.
After the polls, the JP high-ups expelled two senior leaders ---- co-chairman Kazi Firoz Rashid and presidium member Sunil Shubha Roy--- for breaching the party discipline. Both the leaders are loyal to Raushon Ershad.
Firoz Rashid was a cabinet member of HM Ershad while Sunil Shubha was the press and political secretary of Ershad.
