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| Anisul Islam Mahmud, recently expelled from Jatiya Party, speaks at a joining ceremony. |
Anisul Islam Mahmud, a recently expelled leader of the Jatiya Party, has thrown a challenge at the party’s chairman, GM Quader, regarding the party’s council. Speaking at a joining ceremony in Dhaka’s Gulshan at Hawlader Tower on Thursday afternoon, Anisul Islam Mahmud, who presided over the event, said, “If you have the courage, hold a council. I will contest for the chairman’s post, with Ruhul Amin Hawlader as the general secretary in my panel. Come to the election, and let’s see how many votes you get.”
Highlighting his contributions to the Jatiya Party, Anisul Islam Mahmud said, “The Jatiya Party has immense potential. We are working to unite the party and harness this potential. We will not let the Jatiya Party break apart under any circumstances. We built this party with great effort, and we will not let it become like the Muslim League or JSD. We are striving to make the Jatiya Party stronger, and I am confident it will not break but grow bigger.”
Referring to the late party chairman and former president Ershad, Anisul Islam Mahmud added, “Ershad Sahib told me to keep this party close to the common people. That’s what we are working for. When I saw that positions in the party were being traded, I urged the chairman to stop this practice, but he didn’t. I also asked for the repeal of Article 20(1)(a) to run the party democratically, but he didn’t listen to that either.”
Anisul Islam Mahmud accused GM Quader of authoritarian behavior in running the party, stating, “GM Quader talks about democracy but has established a dictatorship within the party. Even Ershad Sahib never made decisions without consulting us, but GM Quader considers himself more powerful than God.”
The former foreign minister and senior co-chairman of the Jatiya Party further said, “He repeatedly says, ‘I am the chairman, my word is final.’ No political party can function like this. Even governments don’t run without consultation. Yet, GM Quader wants to run the party with absolute authority.”
Ruhul Amin Hawlader, the recently expelled co-chairman, remarked, “There will be only one Jatiya Party in Bangladesh, not two. The Jatiya Party will not be held hostage by any syndicate. It belongs to all grassroots leaders and workers. The country is in uncertainty today. A student-people’s uprising has brought change. Change is the demand of the time, and the time for change has come in the Jatiya Party as well.”
Referring to a recent party event where newly appointed general secretary Shamim Haider Patwary criticized senior leaders for past party splits, Ruhul Amin Hawlader said, “GM Quader appointed a barrister as general secretary, who criticized us, saying we seniors betrayed the party. His words hurt me. He should speak with decorum. He should remember my contributions to his becoming an MP.”
Mujibul Haque Chunnu, recently expelled from all party posts including general secretary, stated, “GM Quader has expelled 11 of us in an unconstitutional, undemocratic, and illegal manner. We do not accept this expulsion. We remain in our respective posts until the next council. GM Quader wants to run the party with his wife in a syndicate, but we, the founders of this party, will not let it break, shrink, or be handed over to any syndicate.”
Chunnu added, “After calling a council, there is no provision to expel anyone. GM Quader, out of fear that someone might challenge him in the council, hurriedly staged this expulsion drama. But he will not succeed in his intentions. The millions of Ershad-loving Jatiya Party workers across the country will foil his attempts.”
At the event, over 300 leaders and activists, led by former Narayanganj-3 MP and Jatiya Party Presidium member Liaquat Hossain Khoka and Cumilla-8 MP Nurul Islam Milon, joined in solidarity with Anisul Islam Mahmud, Ruhul Amin Hawlader, and Mujibul Haque Chunnu in their efforts to unify the Jatiya Party. Liaquat Hossain noted that he tried but failed to convince GM Quader to unite the party in light of the current political context.
Liaquat Hossain said, “I tried many times to make GM Quader understand the need to unite the Jatiya Party in the current political scenario, but I failed. Some so-called leaders around him have formed a syndicate to serve their personal interests and are shrinking the party. They don’t want the party to grow or unite, but the grassroots leaders and workers want a united and stronger Jatiya Party.”
Also present at the event were Narayanganj district Jatiya Party president Sanaullah Sanu, senior joint general secretary Ripon Bawali, Anisur Rahman, Siddhirganj Thana president Kazi Md. Mohsin, and others. Additionally, Jatiya Party advisor Sardar Shahjahan, Harun Ar Rashid, Vice Chairman Sheikh Alamgir Hossain, and various central committee leaders attended the solidarity event.
