The country’s political parties are facing serious obstacles in holding rallies, meetings and in carrying out their political activities, from the present poll-time government, which was formed to oversee a credible parliamentary elections, Jatiya Party (Ershad) leaders complained angrily, after police foiled its 28th founding anniversary programme in the city on Wednesday.
Police did not allow the JP to celebrate its foundation day, at a convention centre in Gulshan, denying it permission to hold the foundation anniversary programme, which was criticised by JP secretary-general ABM Ruhul Amin Hawlader, also minister for civil aviation of the poll-time government.
“Now, almost all the political parties can consider themselves unfortunate, barring one or two. Considering the present scenario in the country, a proper environment to hold rallies and meetings is absent now,” the JP leader told The Independent.
The government’s blockade on rallies and meetings should stop, Hawlader said, adding, “There’s no alternative to tolerance in a democracy.” The JP was set to observe its 28th foundation anniversary program at Emanuel’s Convention Centre in Gulshan, at 10 am on Wednesday.
Presidium Member GM Kader claimed that his brother and JP chief Ershad has been kept incommunicado at the CMH and nobody is allowed to visit him and contact him.
“The country is in turmoil due to misuse of power. There are extortion and hijacking of tenders in the name of democracy. Those who go to power amasses huge wealth, is it democracy,” he questioned?
He made the comments when some JP leaders met him at his residence on the occasion of 28th founding anniversary of the party.
JP Presidium member and commerce minister, GM Kader, and general secretary ABM Ruhul Amin Hawlader were expected to attend the aborted programme, respectively, as the chief guest and special guest.
Rafiqul Islam, officer-in-charge of Gulshan Police Station, told The Independent that the JP had no permission to hold such programme.
Hawlader, however, said that they had observed the 27th foundation anniversary last year, amid festivities, in the presence of party chairman HM Ershad, attended by thousands of leaders and activists.
“We had held big rallies and discussion meetings to mark our foundation anniversary last year,” he added.
Since its formation on January 1, 1986, the JP has split into three groups—one led by Ershad’s former communications minister, Anwar Hossain, and another by his close aide, the late Naziur Rahman Manju, and the latest, by his former prime minister, Kazi Zafar Ahmed, splitting in December 20 last year, over the poll issue.
When his attention was drawn to the announcement of their party manifesto and party chief’s address to the nation on BTV, the secretary-general of JP declined to make any comment on it.
When contacted, Kazi Firoz Rashid, a presidium member of the JP, told The Independent on Wednesday that he does not know about announcement of the party’s election manifesto.
“I’ve no idea about address to the nation on BTV by our party chief, but our secretary-general knows well in this regard,” Firoz Rashid, who is also contesting the Jan 5 polls from a capital constituency, said in reply to a query.
Sunil Shuvo Roy, presidium member of JP, said, “I don’t know anything about announcement of the party’s manifesto”, as he said he was busy with his election campaign.
When his attention was drawn to Ershad’s decision to boycott the January 5 election, Roy, who is also the press secretary to the JP chairman and a very close aide, said, “Now we have decided to take part in the elections.”
Some senior leaders of JP, preferring anonymity, told The Independent on Wednesday that they are still in the dark about the announcement of the party manifesto and address to the nation on Bangladesh Television by Ershad, sources said. Terming Ershad as the most unpredictable person in the political arena of the country, the JP leaders said that whatever is happening now inside the JP is happening as per Ershad’s directives.
Earlier, on December 3, Ershad had formally announced boycotting the upcoming national polls, scheduled for January 5, saying that he has already directed party candidates to withdraw their nomination papers.
Ershad quited the Awami League-led Grand Alliance on November 18, and, on the same day, eight Jatiya Party leaders were inducted into the poll-time cabinet, to oversee the parliamentary polls.
Courtesy of The Independent
