Ershad hits back at Raushon, accuses her of dividing JaPa

Jatiya Party chairman HM Ershad on Monday alleged that his wife and party senior presidium member Raushon Ershad has belittled the party by making some statements out of her jurisdiction.

In a statement, he also turned down Raushon’s request for revising the party’s national council date in consultation with party senior leaders. Dhaka, UNB news agency reported.

Earlier on Sunday, Raushon, also the leader of the opposition in parliament, at a press conference urged party chairman Ershad to take decisions in a democratic manner as Jatiya Party is not the company of any individual.

Reacting to her remarks, Ershad said Raushon has to keep it in mind that she is only the chief of the party’s one unit — the parliamentary party.

“The duty of this unit is to carry out parliamentary activities following the party policy. The presidium is its only forum for taking any policy decision, and discussing and evaluating any decision. So, what Raushon said at the press conference as the chief of the parliament party was out of purview of her jurisdiction.”

The Jatiya Party chief also said, “She (Raushon) also disparaged the party with her remark and the party is neither anybody’s personal property nor a company.”

As Raushon demanded that article 39 of the party charter be dropped to make it democratic, Ershad said the article was democratically included in the charter through the party council. “If anyone has any objection to the article, he or she can raise it at the national council, and it can give any verdict for dropping or keeping the article.”

He recalled that Raushon was taken back to the party exercising the power of this article. “Those who had been out of the party for 15-16 years taken back to it and made its presidium members using this article. Of the current 39 presidium members, 35 were inducted into the body exercising the power of the article.”

He said no one should have such a mentality that article 39 is important when it goes in his or her favour and it is undemocratic when it goes against his or her interest.

Ershad said the date of the party’s council was not announced through a unilateral decision as it was finalised at the party’s presidium meeting. “Now there’s no scope for rescheduling the council date.”

In the statement, Ershad also asked Raushon to spell out clearly which democracy the party should follow for taking right decisions.

“Is dividing the party or creating a B Team of the party falls under the purview of party democracy? She has to say which decision has so far been taken against the party democracy,” the Jatiya Party chief said.

About Raushon’s remark about the party leaders who deserted it, Ershad said those who left Jatiya Party they had once joined it quitting parties like BNP and Awami League. “Whether had they joined Jatiya Party for the mistakes of those parties then?

He described those leaders who quit Jatiya Party after it lost power as opportunists and questioned how the party leaders and activists will accept them.