New political bloc hits a rough patch

All does not seem going well with the newly formed Jukto Front, with Gana Forum president Dr Kamal Hossain keeping himself out of the political alliance. According to Front insiders, Hossain’s decision followed differences of opinion among the top leaders Some Gana Forum leaders wanted to form an alternative bloc to the two major political alliances led by the ruling Awami League and the BNP from the grassroots level, but the other Front partners disagreed. When contacted, Mahmudur Rahman Manna, the coordinator of the new alliance, declined to comment on the absence of Hossain in the Jukto Front. “Dr Badruddoza Chowdhury

and Dr Kamal Hossain had taken the initiative to form a third alliance some five to seven years ago. Now, only he (Hossain) can give an appropriate answer as to why he thinks that it will not be wise to float the alliance right now,” he said. Manna said they were preparing a declaration on the aims and objectives of the newly floated platform and it would be announced soon. Manna, who is also the chief of Nagorik Oikya, said they wanted to build a third force outside the two major alliances to make Bangladesh a humanitarian and welfare-oriented state.

He claimed that both the AL and BNP, which had ruled the country for six terms each, failed to fulfil the aspirations of the people.

Gano Forum secretary general Mostafa Mohsin Montu said that the door for discussions was still open even after the announcement of the Jukto Front. “We are not frustrated. There is still room for talks,” he said.

He also said they wanted to start work from the grassroots level to involve the common people. “We should take to the streets after necessary preparations,” he added.

On Monday, Bikalpa Dhara president Dr AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury had announced the launch of Jukto Front.

He came up with the announcement after a marathon meeting at the Uttara residence of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Rob) president ASM Abdur Rob.

Chowdhury and Hossain were the first to take the initiative to form the new political alliance in mid-2013, just a few months ahead of the general election on January 5, 2014. Later, many leaders, including JSD president ASM Abdur Rob, BKSJL president Kader Siddique and Mahmudur Rahman Manna of Nagorik Oikya, were accommodated in the process.

A coordination committee was also formed to carry forward the process to form the alliance, but all activities apparently came to a standstill following Manna’s arrest. Manna was picked up by law enforcement officials from Baridhara in the city on February 24, 2015, and was released on December 19 last year.

New political bloc hits a rough patch

All does not seem going well with the newly formed Jukto Front, with Gana Forum president Dr Kamal Hossain keeping himself out of the political alliance. According to Front insiders, Hossains decision followed differences of opinion among the top leaders Some Gana Forum leaders wanted to form an alternative bloc to the two major political alliances led by the ruling Awami League and the BNP from the grassroots level, but the other Front partners disagreed. When contacted, Mahmudur Rahman Manna, the coordinator of the new alliance, declined to comment on the absence of Hossain in the Jukto Front. Dr Badruddoza Chowdhury and Dr Kamal Hossain had taken the initiative to form a third alliance some five to seven years ago. Now, only he (Hossain) can give an appropriate answer as to why he thinks that it will not be wise to float the alliance right now, he said. Manna said they were preparing a declaration on the aims and objectives of the newly floated platform and it would be announced soon. Manna, who is also the chief of Nagorik Oikya, said they wanted to build a third force outside the two major alliances to make Bangladesh a humanitarian and welfare-oriented state. He claimed that both the AL and BNP, which had ruled the country for six terms each, failed to fulfil the aspirations of the people. Gano Forum secretary general Mostafa Mohsin Montu said that the door for discussions was still open even after the announcement of the Jukto Front. We are not frustrated. There is still room for talks, he said. He also said they wanted to start work from the grassroots level to involve the common people. We should take to the streets after necessary preparations, he added. On Monday, Bikalpa Dhara president Dr AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury had announced the launch of Jukto Front. He came up with the announcement after a marathon meeting at the Uttara residence of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Rob) president ASM Abdur Rob. Chowdhury and Hossain were the first to take the initiative to form the new political alliance in mid-2013, just a few months ahead of the general election on January 5, 2014. Later, many leaders, including JSD president ASM Abdur Rob, BKSJL president Kader Siddique and Mahmudur Rahman Manna of Nagorik Oikya, were accommodated in the process. A coordination committee was also formed to carry forward the process to form the alliance, but all activities apparently came to a standstill following Mannas arrest. Manna was picked up by law enforcement officials from Baridhara in the city on February 24, 2015, and was released on December 19 last year.