Three senior leaders of the Jatiya Party—Anisul Islam Mahmud, ABM Ruhul Amin Hawlader, and Mujibul Haque Chunnu—have publicly rejected the decision made by party chairman GM Quader to relieve them of all party responsibilities.
Terming the move "unconstitutional and authoritarian," they declared their intention to remain in their posts and participate in the party’s upcoming council.
Speaking at a press conference in Dhaka’s Gulshan on Tuesday, the three leaders challenged the legitimacy of the decision.
According to Anisul Islam Mahmud, the meeting through which GM Quader announced the removals was not convened following the party`s constitution.
He stated that only the party’s secretary general has the authority to call such a meeting, and therefore, any decision made there lacks validity.
They also demanded that the specific clause in the party constitution—under which the chairman can unilaterally appoint or remove any member—be abolished.
Mahmud argued that no democratic party should have such an autocratic provision, and said GM Quader has displayed authoritarian behavior in every aspect of party leadership.
Mujibul Haque further criticized GM Quader, claiming he has made key party decisions—including promoting 28 individuals—without informing the then-secretary general.
“His qualification is in no way greater than mine,” Haque said. “When I was a member of parliament, he was working as a manager at a private company. He holds his position only because he is Ershad’s brother.”
Haque added, “We will not leave the Jatiya Party. We will not allow it to be destroyed. We have made the biggest contributions to the party. We will attend the council. If our voices are not heard there, then there will be nothing more to say.”
Ruhul Amin Hawlader, who served as Jatiya Party’s secretary general for 17 years, also rejected the chairman’s move, calling it part of a conspiracy by a powerful internal group.
He said GM Quader is harming the party and acting in a way that no responsible political leader should.
On Monday, the party chairman officially removed the three leaders from all party posts, replacing Mujibul Haque with Shamim Haider Patwary as secretary general.
In total, 11 leaders have been relieved of their responsibilities over the past week, sparking unrest within the party. GM Quader is expected to speak to the media on Wednesday regarding the situation.
The press conference was attended by other prominent party members including Kazi Firoz Rashid, Syed Abu Hossain Babla, Saidur Rahman Tepa, Shafiqul Islam Sentu, Mostafa Al Mahmud, Nazma Akhter, Jasimuddin Bhuiyan, Arifur Rahman Khan, Zahirul Islam Zahir, and Solaiman Alam Seth.
