Leaders of the Jatiya Party (JP) held their 10th national council on Saturday without party chairman GM Quader, who was recently sidelined by a court order.
The council began at 11:30 am at the Emmanuel Convention Center in Gulshan, Dhaka, with senior leader Anisul Islam Mahmud presiding. Thousands of party activists from across the country gathered at the venue, chanting slogans and marching in to the sound of band music.
Among those present were JP President Anwar Hossain Manju, Secretary General Sheikh Shahidul Islam, Co-chairmen ABM Ruhul Amin Hawlader and Kazi Firoz Rashid.
On Friday, Anisul Islam Mahmud declared the event a “unity conference,” stating, “There is no question of division here. This is the conference of Ershad Sahib’s registered Jatiya Party with the plough symbol.”
The internal conflict escalated on July 7, when GM Quader removed 10 senior leaders, including Anisul Islam Mahmud, ABM Ruhul Amin Hawlader, and Secretary General Mujibul Haque Chunnu. The dismissed leaders challenged the move in court, and on July 31, a court temporarily barred Quader and Joint Office Secretary Mahmud Alam from performing organizational duties.
Subsequently, on Tuesday, party Co-chairman Anisul Islam Mahmud was appointed acting chairman in a notice signed by MA Razzak Khan, who had also been removed by Quader.
Three days later, Anisul, Hawlader, and Chunnu jointly announced the national conference at a press briefing, claiming they had been reinstated by the court and that Quader was under a ban from party activities.
Chunnu said the conference aimed to free the party from “organizational stagnation” and to deliver a message of “responsibility, discipline, and unity” to the nation. He described it as a conference for “self-purification and democratic leadership restructuring.”
Anisul said they had reached out to Raushan Ershad and Anwar Hossain Manju, who were expected to join the council, expressing hope that all factions would be united after the event.
The last Jatiya Party national conference was held on December 28, 2019.
