Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad yesterday claimed that credit for Bangladesh’s win in the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and Inter-Parliamentary Association elections had gone to Jatiya Party.
“If the JaPa did not take part in the January 5 election, the country could not set a record in getting two major posts,” he said while addressing a programme organised in front of the party’s central office at Kakrail in the capital to mark “Upazila Day”.
Jatiya Party saved the government by taking part in the January 5 election, he added.
Before the January 5 general election, Ershad said, “I will commit suicide if anyone tries to deceive me.”
He added: “I will never go with you [Awami League]. I always carry four loaded guns. I will commit suicide if they try to provoke me.”
Ershad at the programme yesterday said, “Upazila parishad chairmen have no power now. Power is now wielded by the bureaucrats.”
During the tenure of his government, he said, public representatives had power, but now they had no power. Bureaucrats were now wielding complete power, he added.
On this day in 1984, Ershad announced the upazila system. And Jatiya Party has been observing “Upazila Day” on October 23 every year.
The JaPa chief further said: “During my tenure, I established upazila court and rural people would get proper judgements. At that time, crime rate went down. People did not come to the capital for job as they could manage jobs at upazila level.”
“If the successive governments would properly maintain the upazila system, the capital city would not be uninhabitable for human being,” he added.
