New council seals another JP split

The Jatiya Party yesterday split yet again, this time with Anisul Islam Mahmud and ABM Ruhul Amin Howlader leading a new faction that leaves out current Chairman GM Quader.

Anisul and Howlader were elected chairman and secretary general, respectively, through voice vote at the party's 10th National Council, held at a convention centre in Gulshan.

Mujibul Haque Chunnu was elected executive chairman and Kazi Firoz Rashid senior co-chairman. Around 2,000 councillors from across the country attended.

Founded in 1986 by late military ruler HM Ershad, the Jatiya Party has a long history of factionalism, having split at least six times before. The other factions include Jatiya Party (JaPa) led by GM Quader, Jatiya Party (JP) led by Anwar Hossain, Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP) led by Andaleeve Rahman Partho, Bangladesh Jatiya Party led by MA Mukit, and Jatiya Party (Kazi Zafar) led by Mostafa Jamal Haider. The first four are registered with the Election Commission.

GM Quader is Ershad's brother while Anisul is known as a follower of Ershad's wife Rowshan Ershad, who had served as senior co-chairman of the party. The Rowshan-Quader rivalry had sprung out in the open numerous times before and after Ershad's death.

Presiding over the council, Anisul said the interim government's ongoing reforms would fail without an elected parliament. "Although the government is also talking about elections, there is doubt about whether an acceptable election will be held at all," he added.

Chunnu, who had served as JP secretary general under Quader since 2021, offered an unconditional apology to the people for what he termed the party's "past moral mistakes".

"Joining elections under the Awami League government was not illegal, but there may have been moral lapses," he said. "If there are such mistakes, I, on behalf of the Jatiya Party, apologise unconditionally."

The latest split follows a civil suit filed by Chunnu and nine other senior leaders that led a Dhaka court to issue a temporary injunction earlier this month barring Quader from organisational activities.

The rift deepened when Quader removed 10 leaders, including Chunnu and Anisul, from their posts last month.

Chunnu accused Quader of "obstinacy, unconstitutional activities, and an autocratic mindset".

"This is a turning point in our political history where we stand at the edge of new decisions, new responsibilities, and new dreams," Chunnu told the council.

Speaking as chief guest, Anwar Hossain said, "This country was created through the Liberation War. After many ups and downs, we had brought it to a certain point. Today no one talks about the Liberation War and independence."

In a counter statement, Quader-led JP Secretary General Shameem Haider Patwary said history shows those who leave the party's mainstream "have themselves been wiped out".

"The followers of Ershad and GM Quader will foil all conspiracies against the Jatiya Party," he told a programme at the party's central office.