The government has apparently given up hope of Jatiya Party joining the upcoming parliamentary elections, and plans to move forward with the polls with the participation of ruling Awami League and its 14 smaller allies, a source said.
During the regular cabinet meeting at the secretariat yesterday, ministers of the polls-time cabinet were asked to strengthen their field-level activities and build up strong resistance against anti-election forces, a minister who attended the meeting told the Dhaka Tribune on condition of anonymity.
“The prime minister asked the ministers and 14-party alliance leaders to prepare for the elections without the Jatiya Party. The polls will be held in due time by any means, no matter who is participating or not,” the minister said quoting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Six Jatiya Party ministers, who were asked by their party chief HM Ershad to resign from the polls-time cabinet, skipped yesterday’s meeting.
Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told reporters that his office had contacted the JP ministers, but they said they would not be joining the meeting.
“No seats were reserved for the [JP] ministers in Monday’s cabinet meeting, as they had sent back the folders containing the notice for the meeting,” Bhuiyan said.
“I’m not aware about the resignations of the [JP] ministers, as we are yet to get papers from the PMO. They will be considered as ministers until the president approves their resignation letters, and an order is issued from the cabinet division declaring their posts vacant,” the secretary added.
On Sunday, Ruhul Amin Howlader, JP secretary general, had said: “We will not join Monday’s cabinet meeting.”
He made the announcement while talking to reporters after visiting President Abdul Hamid on Sunday night.
Howlader, who was appointed as the civil aviation minister, earlier said they sought prime minister’s appointment to hand in the resignation letters.
Ershad yesterday said they sent the resignations by courier.
On Tuesday, Ershad declared that his party would not contest the upcoming elections slated for Januray 5 without the participation of “all political parties.”
