Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad yesterday issued a “warning” to a section of his party for participating in the January 5 elections without his consent.
The warning was given at a top-level party meeting in the capital’s Gulshan, at which 30 lawmakers out of 34 from the party were absent.
Pointing at those lawmakers present, Ershad said: “Do not break the bond for simple reasons. Otherwise, the Jatiya Party will move forward without you.”
Following the January 5 general elections, most of the lawmakers from the party have allegedly been avoiding their party chief. Ershad had called the elected and selected lawmakers, including its presidium members Anisul Islam Mahmud and Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu, to meet him several times but they were not responding, sources said.
The former military ruler said, however, that he would forgive them, and asked them to return to the party.
During the meeting, Ershad refused to discuss the reasons behind his decision to boycott the general election and his position afterwards. He said: “Now I am thinking about those who withdrew their nominations to respect my order.”
Though Ershad boycotted the 10th parliamentary polls, the Jatiya Party emerged as the main opposition party in parliament, and its chairman was made the special envoy to the prime minister.
At the meeting, Ershad urged his supporters to further strengthen the party, before next month, by reorganising all the affiliates of the party at a council session.
Meanwhile, in a press release, signed by Ershad’s Press and Political Secretary Sunil Shuvo Roy, the party’s central committee Publicity Secretary Sultan Mahmud was announced as the new the office secretary of the party.
The decision was made after former office secretary Tajul Islam Chowdhury was appointed as chief whip of the main opposition party.