Leader of the Opposition Rowshan Ershad has been elected as the chief patron of Jatiya Party while GM Quader, MP, has been elected as the Chairman at the 9th triennial national council of the party on Saturday.
However, Rowshan Ershad was absent in the council. Incumbent secretary general of Jatiya Party Moshiur Rahman Ranga has been reelected in the post.
The post of the chief patron is a new post of Jatiya Party which was created through amending the organisational constitution of the Party to accommodate Rowshan Ershad, the widow of deceased military dictator and founder of Jatiya Party MH Ershad, to an honourable post. Ershad’s younger brother and incumbent chairman of the party GM Quader was reelected chairman unopposed, party insiders said.
Rowshan would enjoy the highest honour in all general meetings and other programmes of the party. She will remain in the post as long as she is alive, according to the amended organisational constitution of the party.
Supreme Court lawyer Sheikh Seraj, chief election commissioner at the Jatiya Party’s 9th national council, announced the names of the chief patron and the chairman.
Later, GM Quader named Moshiur Rahman Ranga as the party secretary general.
"The full committee of the party will be announced later," GM Quader said, adding that there is no division in the party.
"We all have to be united and work together to fulfill the dream of Hussain Mohammad Ershad," he said.
Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, while speaking as a guest at the council, described Ershad as a “gentleman” and “popular political leader”.
"Democracy cannot be strong without a strong opposition party. Jatiya Party is playing an important role as a good opposition party in the country," Quader said.
The Awami League leader said Jatiya Party does not believe in violence. “The party's activists have to be united to strengthen the ruling government,” he added.
The council was held at the Engineers Institute, Bangladesh. Former secretary general Ruhul Amin Hawlader, Kazi Firoz Rashid, MP, and other senior leaders of the party were present at the council. Around ten thousand JP councilors across the country elected the party leaders at its ninth council.
The party’s highest power would remain in the hands of GM Quader and he would preside over all the party meetings, the party insiders added.
According to JP sources, although Rowshan will hold the party’s number one post, it will be an honourary post. Party chairman GM Quader will actually operate the party remaining at its helm.
Rowshan was made the chief patron of the party to give her the highest honour on behalf of the party as she is the wife of the late chairman and founder of the party HM Ershad.
After the demise of HM Ershad on July 14, both Rowshan and Quader were at loggerheads over who would become the JP chairman and Leader of the Opposition.
Later, GM Quader was declared as the JP chairman, an appointment opposed by Rowshan’s faction.
Factions of Rowshan and GM Quader, after several meetings in September, came to an understanding that Quader would remain the chairperson, while Rowshan would be the Leader of the Opposition.
