Chairman of Jatiya Party (JP) GM Quader has appointed 29 new advisers and 14 joint secretaries general to the party, apparently in retaliation to the promotion of 16 leaders by the party’s Chief Patron Raushon Ershad. Quader had objected to Raushan’s January 15 announcement promoting 16 leaders and said she had ‘no authority’ to do so as per the party constitution.

The JP chief, in his notice issued on Friday, appointed Ershad’s son Rahgir Al Mahi Shad as a joint secretary general, who was made a co-chairman by Raushon, his mother, only two days before. The announcement of new appointments exposes a widening rift between late

party founder HM Ershad’s brother GM Quader and widow Raushon, after Quader took over the party helm formally through the recently held national council, say party sources.

Quader also made his wife Sherifa Quader, sister Marina Rahman and niece Mehe Zebunnesa Rahman Tumpa as advisers to JP. Marina is a former lawmaker while Sherifa, a singer, is an organiser of cultural programmes. Quader’s niece Tumpa is married to party Presidium Member Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu.

The newly appointed advisers to party chairman are—Principal Raushan Ara Mannan, MP (Cumilla), AKM Mostafizur Rahman (Kurigram), Md Selim Uddin (Sylhet), Advocate Hasan Siraj Suja (Magura), Md Noman (Lakshmipur), Somnath Dey (Bagerhat), MM Niaz Uddin (Gazipur), Ashraf Ud Doula (Kurigram), MA Kaddus Khan (Jhalokathi), Mahmudur Rahman Mahmud (Lakshmipur), Advocate Ziaul Huq Mridha (B’baria), Md Lutfor Rahman Chowdhury (Gaibandha), MA Talha (Natore), Delwar Hossain (Dinajpur), Nurul Islam Milon (Cumilla), Adv Gias Uddin (Sylhet), Adv Ekramul Huq (Chapainababganj), Sarder Shajahan (Pabna), Ataur Rahman Sarker (Gaibandha) and Zahirul Alam Rubel (Dhaka).  

The newly appointed joint secretaries general are—Golam Mohammad Raju (Munshiganj), ex-lawmaker Yahya Chowdhury (Sylhet), Nurul Islam Dipu (Gazipur), Md Noman Mia (Munshiganj), SM Yasir (Rangpur), Aminul Islam Jhantu (Sirajganj), Amir Uddin Ahmed Dhalu (Dhaka), Shahida Rahman Rinku (Dhaka), Rahgir Al Mahi Shad Ershad, MP, (Rangpur), Shamsul Haque (Dhaka), Abdul Hamid Bhasani (B’baria), MA Munim Chowdhury Babu (Habiganj), ex-lawmaker Amir Hossain (Cumilla) and Iqbal Hossain Taposh (Barishal).  

Quader made the announcement with the powers vested on him by the party constitution and as per a decision taken in the council, said party leaders.

When the party created the ceremonial post of

chief patron for Raushon in the last council held on December 28, 2019, Secretary General Mashiur Rahman Ranga claimed that Raushon Ershad’s position will be above the party chairman.