Islami Oikya Jote (IOJ) led by Maulana Abdul Latif Nezami yesterday severed the link with the BNP-led 20-party alliance. However, a section of the partly led by its senior vice chairman Advocate Maulana Abdur Rakib has announced to stay with the 20-party alliance, causing a rift within the party.Addressing the triennial conference of IOJ at Engineers Institution, party chief Abdul Latif Nezami said, “We have no more relations with the 20-party alliance.”
Soon after the announcement, IOJ senior vice chairman Advocate Maulana Abdur Rakib, declared him as the new chairman of the party and held a press conference claiming that they would remain with the 20-party alliance.
Meanwhile, BNP vice chairman Maj (Retd) Hafizuddin Ahmed at a function yesterday accused the government of trying to split the 20-party alliance with carrots and sticks.
IOJ chief Nezami announced that they would field candidates in all the 300 constituencies in the next general elections.
He demanded the government to immediately hold a fresh national election in participation of all political parties.
Nezami said they left the 20-party alliance to give time to its own jote to strengthen it further.
He said neither there was any pressure from the government to leave the alliance nor they have any complain against the 20-party alliance.
IOJ secretary general Mufti Faizullah, Abul Hasnat Amini and Prof Ihtesham Sarwar, among others, also spoke in the conference.
Maulana Rakib at a hurriedly call press conference at BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office said the IOJ was with the 20-party alliance and it would continue to stay in future.
“The new executive committee of the IOJ will be announced soon and the national convention of the jote will be held March 31,” he said.
On January 5 polls, he said it has got legitimacy constitutionally but not morally. So, holding a fresh election has become a necessity to all, he added.
There was no presence of alliance partner in the January 5 rally of the BNP and reciprocally the IOJ did not invite BNP leaders at their conference.
Meanwhile, addressing a discussion meeting to mark Felani Day, BNP leader Maj (Retd) Hafizuddin said the government is trying to split the 20-party alliance with carrots and sticks.
He made the comments apparently on the departure of the IOJ from the 20-party alliance.
He also called upon the government to accept the proposal of party chairperson Khaleda Zia to hold a fresh election reaching an agreement through talks.
All Community, social organisaiton, arranged the meeting to recall the memory of Felani, who was killed by BSF at the birbedwire fencing at Nageshwari in Kurigram. – Staff Reporter
