JP leadership in tatters

Jatiya Party chairman HM Ershad on Tuesday in a tug-of-war over the party leadership removed Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu as the party secretary general and replaced him with Ruhul Amin Howlader.
But the crisis deepened further when the party’s parliamentary group turned their back on Ershad’s decision to appoint a co-chairman and replace the secretary general.
The slit in the party leadership became apparent after Ershad made his younger brother GM Quader co-chairman of the party and a faction in a dramatic turn declared Ershad’s wife Raushan Ershad as chairman of the party.
The former military dictator at a press conference at his Banani office made the announcement of the removal of Ziauddin, who had earlier declared that they would not accept GM Quader as co-chairman and regard Raushan as chairman.
Ershad said there was no chance for the party to split at relieving Ziauddin of duty. He said Ziauddin had no right to announce Raushan as the party chairman.
‘I am announcing the party presidium member GM Quader as co-chairman of the party form today and it would be approved in the upcoming conference of the party scheduled in April,’ Ershad said.
‘My younger brother Quader will take charge of the party after me,’ Ershad said, adding, ‘According to the party constitution, as the party chairman I can appoint anyone to or relive anyone of the post of secretary general.’
GM Quader, Ruhul Amin Hawlader, party presidium members SM Faisal Chisti, Abul Kashem, Abdus Sabur Asud, Rezaul Islam Bhuiyan, Nurul Islam Nuru and others attended the press conference.
The JP parliamentary party, meanwhile, at a meeting with Raushan in the chair at parliament building rejected Ershad’s decision to appoint a co-chairman and replace the secretary general.
‘Every member has opposed whatever decisions the chairperson has taken until now,’ chief whip of Jatiya Party Tajul Islam Chowdhury told reporters after the meeting.
He said the MPs told Ershad to make decisions in consultation with members of the presidium and parliamentary party.
Ershad and Hawlader emerged from the meeting minutes before its ending and had a separate closed door meeting between them. But a reaction from Ershad was not available immediately.
All of the 40 MPs from the party joined the meeting, including Ziauddin and Ruhul Amin.
Ershad, also special envoy to prime minister Sheikh Hasina, on Sunday suddenly declared the party presidium member, GM Quader, as its co-chairman during a council session of the party’s Rangpur unit.
The next day, a section of the party’s MPs and presidium members including Ziauddin, known to be close to the ruling Awami League, announced Raushan as the acting chairman.

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