Commerce Minister GM Quader on Saturday said he would not join the “last meeting” of the cabinet today as his Jatiya Party thinks ministers’ handing over of letters to the prime minister expressing intent to resign has vacated the entire cabinet.
“I also resigned along with the other ministers. And our position is: resignation means resignation. I have not attended office since.
“I will not attend Sunday’s meeting either,” Quader told the Dhaka Tribune on Saturday after meeting his brother and party chief HM Ershad.
Quader said Ershad was in talks with former president Badruddoza Chowdhury (Bikalpadhara Bangladesh), Dr Kamal Hossain (Gonoforum), Bangabir Kader Siddiqui (Krishak Sramik Janata League) and ASM Abdur Rob (Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal) to form a new alliance.
“But we are yet to decide whether to align with them,” claimed the minister, also a presidium member of Ershad’s Jatiya Party.
He added that his party was out of the Awami League-led grand alliance.
“According to the terms of alliance, the Jatiya Party jointly took part in the polls and formed government. As I, the lone Jatiya Party representative, have resigned from the cabinet, we are out of the alliance now,” he said.
Quader said party chief Ershad had been working on choosing a new alliance to take part in the polls.
“We have three options: joining the Awami League-led coalition or siding with the BNP-led alliance or looking for another new alliance. Our chairman will decide about it,” he said.
“Why should we look for an alliance other than contesting the polls?” he posed a counter question when asked what would the goal of the new alliance.
He also said the new alliance would be an election alliance rather than anything else.