The Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) faction led by Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu has split again, with a faction of leaders yesterday announcing a new committee led by the party’s immediate past committee General Secretary Sharif Nurul Ambia. Announcing formation of the party’s new committee at a press conference at the National Parliament Complex, JSD lawmaker Moinuddin Khan Badal said they are the main faction of the leftist political party. “We will go to the Election Commission to seek party registration and its symbol. We will also submit our Council session report to the EC, which will give further decision on the matter,” said the faction's chief Sharif Nurul Ambia. Replying to a question, Ambia said, “We also want unity. The new committee will be dissolved if our proposal is agreed to. We are not against the spirit of union.” “There is no room for leaders and workers of Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu in the party’s Central Office. The court will decide its constituents,” Ambia said. Moinuddin Khan Badal, also the Executive President of JSD, alleged that the autocratic attitude and financial irregularities of Inu caused the party split, but the way for unity will be revealed only when the “muscle power-based” Council is cancelled.
However, through the news conference, the new grouping named Sharif Nurul Ambia as President and Nazmul Haque Prodhan as General Secretary and Moinuddin Khan Badal as Executive President of the party. Earlier, on March 12, the new faction led by Sharif Nurul Ambia, General Secretary of the party's immediate past committee, walked out of its National Council protesting election of leaders in an “undemocratic way”. At the Council session, the JSD faction led by Inu formed a Central committee re-electing Inu as President and Shirin Akhter as General Secretary and Robiul Alam as Executive President.
Meanwhile, talking to this Correspondent, Inu said they have elected a Central Committee of the party through secret ballots at the Council session. Only he was elected unopposed by the Council session as none contested the poll, while Shirin was elected General Secretary defeating Prodhan in secret votes, Inu said. He also told The Independent that he wants to work together with his party colleagues in a bid to strengthen the organisation.
“I will call upon my party men who left the party, to
come back and work with us for the sake of the organisation,” he said. “We have kept the rebel leaders in our newly formed committee and I hope they will return,” he said. The party came into being with a split-away faction of the then Awami League on October 31, 1972. Since then, the party has faced splits on several occasions. The party first split in 1981 when party leader Khalequzzaman left to form the Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal. In 1984, party President Abdul Jalil left the party and ASM Abdur Rob and Shahjahan Siraj formed two JSD factions. In 1986, Shahjahan-led faction split into two factions, one led by Shajahan Siraj and the other by Kazi Aref Ahmed and Hasanul Haq Inu.