‘‘There is no room for debate, it was a courtesy call"

  • Special Correspondent, Barta24.com, Dhaka
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Photo: Collected

Photo: Collected

The meeting between Jatiyo Party members of Parliament with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was a courtesy call. They went to meet the Prime Minister due to the end of the 11th Parliament. Jatiyo Party Secretary General Mujibul Haque Chunnu told Barta24.com that there is no room for debate.

In response to a question, the Secretary General of Jatiyo Party said that the matter was not pre-planned. 16 members of Parliament went to meet the Prime Minister suddenly. All those who were in the parliament building at that time participated.

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Was he informed before going to meet, or did the party have prior permission? In response to such questions, Jatiyo Party Secretary General told Barta24.com that he called me before leaving. I told them to go no problem.

On Wednesday (November 1) after Maghrib prayers, they met 16 members of Parliament of the Jatiya Party at the Prime Minister's Office at the Parliament Secretariat. Without the leader of the party's parliamentary party Roushan Ershad or the party's chairman GM Quader, this meeting created a lot of curiosity.

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Jatiya Party Co-Chairman Kazi Feroz Rashid, Co-Chairman Syed Abu Hussain Babla, Co-Chairman Advocate Salma Islam MP and Presidium Member Roushanara Mannan are said to be leading the party.

Several members of Parliament who participated in the courtesy call said that Kazi Feroz Rashid, Syed Abu Hussain Babla, Roushan Ara Mannan and Rustam Ali Faraji were sitting on four chairs in front of the chair that the Prime Minister sits in her office, while all the others were standing. Prime Minister was very busy, stayed for five to seven minutes. Kazi Feroze, Babla and Roushan Ara Mannan said something. There was no talk of elections or political issues. The fact that the National Party has worked together in the current Parliament came up in the discussion. Besides, the role of the Prime Minister for the development of the country was appreciated, said the member of Parliament. In response, the Prime Minister also thanked the Jatiya Party for its role in the outgoing Parliament.

In that meeting, the party's top leader Roushan Ershad, party chairman GM Quader, Jatiya Party Secretary General Mujibul Haque Chunnu, Barrister Anisul Islam Mahmud, Rahgir Al Mahi Saad Ershad, opposition chief whip Moshiur Rahman Ranga, Liaquat Hossain Khoka, Sherifa Quader, Ahsan Adelur Rahman and Rana Mohammad Sohail were absent.

According to Jatiya Party sources, Leader of Opposition Roshan Ershad, Deputy Leader of Opposition GM Quader and Chief Whip Moshiur Rahman Ranga did not come to Parliament. On the other hand, Saad Ershad joined the session but left before Maghrib break. The Jatiya Party has a total of 27 MPs in the opposition seats in the Jatiyo Sangsad. 16 of them attended the meeting.

The Jatiyo Party has not announced any alliance so far for the upcoming elections. Besides announcing elections in 300 constituencies alone, they also announced to take a timely decision on the alliance formation issue. Party chairman GM Quader has said in several meetings that a decision on the question of alliance will be taken considering the future of the people of the country and the national party. Recently the chairman of the party has been given the sole power to form a coalition in the joint meeting of the presidium and the parliamentary party.

There are indications that many of the top leaders, including party chairman GM Quader, are in favor of an alliance with BNP. Again, a part including opposition leader of Jatiyo Sangsad Roushan Ershad is in favor of alliance with Awami League. Because of that, Ershad JP, the most fragmented political party, may face another round of split in the upcoming parliamentary elections. That's why the team wants to step in very wisely.