A faction of the hardline Islamist party Jamiat-e Ulama-e-Islam Bangladesh has quit the BNP-led 20-party alliance, accusing the BNP of ignoring the opinions of its allies and taking unilateral decisions regarding elections.
At an emergency press conference in Dhaka on Wednesday, acting secretary general of the party Maulana Bahauddin Zakaria also criticized the BNP for not protesting the arrest of Islamist leaders, and for not expressing its condolence after the death of Jamiat chief Nur Hossain Kasemi and for skipping the funeral prayers of the deceased.
“It will be good for Jamiat to quit the 20-party alliance. Jamiat will not attend any program of the alliance from today [Wednesday],” he said, reports Bangla Tribune.
The acting president of Jamiat, Maulana Zia Uddin Ahmed, was present at the press conference.
In his remarks, Maulana Zakaria also asked the government to reopen madrasas and ensure fair prices of rawhides during Eid-ul-Azha.
Also Read - Hefazat Secretary General Kasemi dies
Jamiat secretary general and secretary general of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh Kasemi died on December 13 at a Dhaka hospital. His namaz-e-janaza was held at the National Eidgah the next day.
Kasemi was founder director of Jamia Madania Madrasa in the capital’s Baridhara area.
The other faction of Jamiat is led by acting president Maulana Monsurul Hassan Raipuri and Secretary General Maulana Dr Golam Mohiuddin Ikram.
The parties which quit the BNP-led alliance earlier are Islami Oikya Jote, Bangladesh NAP, NDP and a faction of the Labour Party.
Meanwhile, a senior BNP leader has claimed that Jamiat made the decision after its top leaders met Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal.
“We have heard that Jamiat announced its decision to quit the coalition at a press conference. A little before that, they [Jamiat leaders] had a meeting with the home minister. Now you can understand why they quit the alliance,” Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, member of the party’s standing committee, told Bangla Tribune.
Asked about the meeting with the home minister, Jamiat acting secretary general Maulana Zakaria refused to make any comment on the matter. Another senior leader, seeking anonymity, confirmed the meeting but declined to comment further.