Yesterday. Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad revealed that he would attend the parliament sessions, although he declined to comment on the sickness for which he has been at the Combined Military Hospital since December 12.
The Dhaka Tribune talked to him while he was surrounded by intelligence officials who practically brought him to Bangabhaban for the oath-taking ceremony of the new cabinet.
Many of his top leaders did not meet him at the garden where the guests had refreshments. Ruhul Amin Hawlader, the JaPa secretary general, and Abu Hossain Babla, however, were with him until he left the scene.
Rawshan Ershad, already selected as the opposition leader, also met him. However, the couple of 60 years exchanged very few words. Rawshan led her party to the election as Ershad first announced his taking part in the elections and then seemed stubborn to boycott the polls.
He was allowed to go to his Baridhara residence yesterday evening after the Cabinet Division issued a circular making him a special envoy to the prime minister.
“Where are you sir? Are you fine?” the Dhaka Tribune asked him as the intelligence officials were escorting him out of the Bangabhaban.
Ershad remained silent.
Another reporter asked him: “How do you see the cabinet?”
“Good,” Ershad replied while walking towards the main entrance.
“As I have been elected MP, I have to go to parliament,” he said in response to a question put forward by the Dhaka Tribune regarding his attendance of parliament sessions.
The on-duty intelligence officials blocked the two reporters as they proceeded to ask more questions.
The former military dictator came to take oath as a lawmaker under the tight vigilance of intelligence officials. He was debarred from talking to reporters.
Mujibul Haque (Chunnu), who was one of the leaders to defy Ershad’s polls-boycott decision, saw him and touched his feet. Ershad did not tell him anything.
Anisul Islam Mahmud, who had violated Ershad's orders in refusing to resign from the interim cabinet of Sheikh Hasina, did not see him. Another leader Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu also skipped seeing him.
While walking out of the Bangabhaban, the JaPa chairman talked to Presidium member Salma Islam, another reformist leader who did not get berth in the new cabinet.
Earlier, Ershad came to witness the ceremony and sat in the front row of the Darbar Hall with wife Rawshan beside him.
