JP descends into chaos
FROM PAGE 1
denied the opportunity to buy forms from the party chairman’s Banani office, said party sources.
Raushan, also the leader of the opposition in parliament, and her son Rahgir Almahe Ershad were yet to collect forms for the January 7 national election. The deadline for collecting and submitting the JP’s nomination forms expired yesterday.
Aggrieved at this, Raushan has sought an appointment with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to discuss all election-related issues, Golam Moshi, political secretary to the opposition leader, told The Daily Star last night.
Mahtab Uddin, a former JP presidium member who was expelled from the party for siding with Raushan, said he went to the Banani office yesterday to collect a nomination form, but party chairman’s adviser Kholilur Rahman refused to sell one to him.
“I had been involved in Jatiya Party’s politics for many years. When party founder HM Ershad first formed Jonodol, I was with him. But Kholilur Rahman who was in charge of selling forms refused to give one to me,” he told this correspondent.
Two representatives of Ranga also went to the office to buy a form, but they were not given a form, Ranga told The Daily Star.
The opposition chief whip was relieved of all JP posts on October 28, 2022, over siding with Raushan and a conflict with party Chairman GM Quader.
Ranga said they will hold a meeting today to decide their next course of action.
Golam Moshi alleged that several JP leaders loyal to Raushan were manhandled at the Banani office on Thursday when they went there to collect nomination forms.
The JP started the sale of nomination forms on November 20. The party on Thursday extended the deadline for collection and submission of forms by a day as Raushan and Rahgir didn’t collect forms.
“Extension of the deadline was nothing but a drama as they [pro-Quader leaders] didn’t sell forms to any of us,” Golam Moshi said.
Meanwhile, JP Secretary General Mujibul Haque Chunnu yesterday once again claimed that there was no division in the party.
“There is only one group in the Jatiya Party, which is GM Quader group,” he told reporters at the Banani office.
Asked about fresh tension regarding nomination forms not being collected by Raushan and her son, Chunnu said Raushan made many contributions to the party and also sacrificed a lot for it.
“If she wants to run in the election, we will give her all the support. There is no deadline for collection of Raushan Ershad’s nomination form. She will be given the form whenever she wants to have one,” he added.
However, this correspondent could not reach Chunnu for comments on the allegations raised by pro-Raushan leaders as he did not respond to phone calls.
The JP sold a total of 1,752 nomination forms until yesterday.
After interviewing the nomination seekers, the party will make the final list of its nominees public on November 27.