Opposition leader Raushan Ershad yesterday urged their party chairman HM Ershad to take decisions in a democratic manner as Jatiya Party is not the company of any individual, reports UNB.
"I would like to request the party chairman not to take decisions unilaterally. Decisions should be taken as per the party charter in the interest of its followers," Raushan asks Ershad, also her husband, at a press briefing at parliament's media centre.
Raushan, also presidium member of Jatiya Party, said the party is not a company of any individual. “It rather belongs to leaders, activists and supporters,” the 74-year-old opposition leader said.
She raised questions about the leaders who are now surrounding the party chairman – Ershad, now in his mid-80s.
Recalling the contributions of old leaders to the party, she said, "Once Mr Moudud, Shah Moazzem, Mizanur Rahman Chowdhury, Anwar Hossain Monju and other dedicated leaders were beside our party chairman. But, now who’re behind the Jatiya Party chairman?"
The opposition leader urged the old leaders who left the party to rejoin Jatiya Party.
The high-profile JaPa defectors Moudud Ahmed is now a standing committee member of BNP, while Shah Moazzem Hossain is its vice chairman, Mizanur Rahman Chowdhury died as a member of Awami League advisory council and Anwar Hossain Monju is now the chairman of Jatiya Party (Monju) and also the incumbent Environment and Forest Minister.
Raushan said, "We couldn’t take any specific, effective political strategy to attract new leaders to join the party. Jatiya Party has lost its pride, honour and glorious tradition."
Pointing at the leaders who are inactive and deserted Jatiya Party, she said, "Please return to the party. We're eagerly waiting for your return."
"At this age, I don’t have any personal demand. I don’t want to see any lack of coordination in the Jatiya Party. My only desire is that our old leaders’ return to the party," she insisted.
Depicting the sorry state of the party, Raushan said if the decisions are taken democratically giving importance to views of grassroots leaders and presidium members, the party must have fared well in the elections.
She went on saying, "We failed to have any mayor or chairmen elected in recent elections. We are also doing badly in the (ongoing) Union Parishad elections. Jatiya Party is getting weaker day by day."
Demanding that the article 39 of the party charter be dropped, Raushan said if the party is not democratic then how the country will be democratic.
"Democracy should be practiced within the party. A vacuum has created in Jatiya Party now," she lamented.