Brushing aside all the speculations over making his wife Rowshan Ershad acting party chairman, Jatiya Party chairman HM Ershad on Saturday said he is the party chief and will remain so as long as he is alive.
Reaffirming his stance on boycotting the January-5 parliamentary polls, the former military ruler also said Jatiya Party will not participate in the election if all parties do not join it.
“I’m HM Ershad is the chairman of Jatiya Party and will remain its chairman as long as I’m alive,” he told reporters at his Baridhara residence around 2:15pm.
Mentioning that there is no scope for making anyone else acting Jatiya Party chairman in his lifetime, the deposed President said, “Rowshan didn’t take over from me and she hasn’t been made acting party chairman.”
Terming the news of his retirement from politics baseless and confusing, Ershad urged the media to avoid spreading propaganda about it. “There’ll be no use of propaganda as I won’t go to the national polls if all parties don’t participate in it as per my earlier decoration…we’ll never join it.”
About the resignation of Jatiya Party ministers, he said party secretary general ABM Ruhul Amin Howlader will go to the Prime Minister for submitting their resignation letters.
Earlier in the day, sacked Jatiya Party senior presidium member Kazi Zafar Ahmed told reporters that he had information that Ershad may go on retirement or abroad for treatment making Rowshan Ershad its acting chairman.
On Tuesday, Ershad in a dramatic U-turn announced that his party would boycott the 10th parliamentary polls.
On November 18, Ershad deserted the ruling Awami League-led grand alliance and urged BNP to join the general election to save the country and maintain the democratic process.
Later, on Thursday, five Jatiya Party ministers submitted their resignation letters to party chairman HM Ershad to forward those to the President.
Source: UNBConnect
