1/11 period

Ershad used me to avoid arrest: Anisul

Water Resources Minister and Jatiya Party (JP) Presidium Member Anisul Islam Mahmud yesterday blasted his party Chairman HM Ershad by saying that it was Ershad who had made him the acting chairman of the JP during the 1/11 period to escape going to jail. If it was not done, there would have been a minus three formula. Like Hasina and Khaleda, Ershad would also have gone to jail, Anisul Islam Mahmud told reporters at the Secretariat in a  scathing reply to his party chief’s remarks that he should be tried for his role during the 1/11 period. Ershad made the remarks about Anisul while speaking at the JP conference of Jamalpur and Sherpur recently. It was Ershad who made me the legal guardian of his son Erich in the documents of a fixed deposit for the son, where he did not make his own younger brother the legal guardian. But now, he is asking all JP ministers to quit the cabinet though it was he who wrote to the prime minister to make GM Quader a minister, Anisul Islam Mahmud said. Most parts of his 55  minute meeting with the reporters dealt heavily with the criticism on the role of GM Quader, where he claimed that Quader had described the elections, parliament and the government as illegal. But also wanted to contest the by-elections at Pirganj and Narayanganj as well as aspiring to become a minister. “Why should the JP suffer for him whose words and deeds do not match,” Mahmud said, noting there was no provision in the JP charter for the post of a co-chairman of the party. “But Ershad made Quader his successor, making him the co-chairman. A party cannot function like that,” Mahud said, adding that he had been a minister of Ershad for seven years, enjoying all the freedom. “So I never spoke against him in public. But I have been forced to speak today. Whatever he said about me was not true although he (Ershad) said that the media did not properly report his remarks,” said Anisul. “But the records showed whatever he had said was clear the way he spoke,” Mahmud said, explaining his position regarding the statement of his party chief.

1/11 period

Ershad used me to avoid arrest: Anisul

Water Resources Minister and Jatiya Party (JP) Presidium Member Anisul Islam Mahmud yesterday blasted his party Chairman HM Ershad by saying that it was Ershad who had made him the acting chairman of the JP during the 1/11 period to escape going to jail. If it was not done, there would have been a minus three formula. Like Hasina and Khaleda, Ershad would also have gone to jail, Anisul Islam Mahmud told reporters at the Secretariat in a scathing reply to his party chiefs remarks that he should be tried for his role during the 1/11 period. Ershad made the remarks about Anisul while speaking at the JP conference of Jamalpur and Sherpur recently. It was Ershad who made me the legal guardian of his son Erich in the documents of a fixed deposit for the son, where he did not make his own younger brother the legal guardian. But now, he is asking all JP ministers to quit the cabinet though it was he who wrote to the prime minister to make GM Quader a minister, Anisul Islam Mahmud said. Most parts of his 55 minute meeting with the reporters dealt heavily with the criticism on the role of GM Quader, where he claimed that Quader had described the elections, parliament and the government as illegal. But also wanted to contest the by-elections at Pirganj and Narayanganj as well as aspiring to become a minister. Why should the JP suffer for him whose words and deeds do not match, Mahmud said, noting there was no provision in the JP charter for the post of a co-chairman of the party. But Ershad made Quader his successor, making him the co-chairman. A party cannot function like that, Mahud said, adding that he had been a minister of Ershad for seven years, enjoying all the freedom. So I never spoke against him in public. But I have been forced to speak today. Whatever he said about me was not true although he (Ershad) said that the media did not properly report his remarks, said Anisul. But the records showed whatever he had said was clear the way he spoke, Mahmud said, explaining his position regarding the statement of his party chief.