ASM Abdur Rab’s JSD splits

Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD-Rab) faced a split as a group of leaders of the party, led by its general secretary Abdul Malek Ratan, on Saturday announced to hold a convention on 11 January boycotting the council convened by its president ASM Abdur Rab for 28 December, reports UNB.

“We think the council convened by another group of the party on 28 December is not lawful. That’s why we’ve taken an initiative to ensure the internal democracy of the party through a convention on 11 January by boycotting the undemocratic and illegal council,” said Ratan.

He came up with the announcement at a press conference at the Jatiya Press Club.

Ratan said the faction, led by him, is the main JSD while the other faction, led by Rab, has joined hands with the anti-liberation forces.

He blamed the split in the party on Rab’s undemocratic attitude.

Ratan who himself contested the 11th parliamentary election with BNP’s election symbol ‘Sheaf of Paddy’ as a candidate of Jatiya Oikya Front in Cumilla-4 seat, questioned making alliance with BNP by Rab.

He said the Rab-led JSD faction developed entente with anti-liberation quarter forgetting the promise to create a pro-liberation third force.

A former Chhatra League leader and DUCSU president ASM Abdur Rab was actively involved in the move to form JSD after the Liberation War. Later, the party faced split several times.

However, two active JSD factions got united making Rab president and Hasanul Haq Inu general secretary in 1996. But Rab and Inu got divided again.

On 13 October, 2018, JSD (Rab) along with some other parties, including BNP, formed the Jatiya Oikya Front under the leadership of Kamal Hossain.