Dhaka – Islami Oikya Jote (IOJ) suffered a split after its chairman Abdul Latif Nizami on Thursday announced that it quit the BNP-led 20-party alliance.
IOJ chairman Abdul Latif Nizami made the announcement at the triennial national convention of the party at the Engineers’ Institution saying that they left the 20-party alliance for making their party stronger and giving it more time.
Demanding an immediate fresh national election with the participation of all, Nizami said they would contest it from all 300 constituencies in the next parliamentary polls.
The IOJ, one of the 20 components of the BNP-led combine, has been maintaining a distance from BNP for last few months. Its leaders were also not seen in the recent alliance’s programmes.
Hours after Abdul Latif Nizami’s announcement to quit the BNP-lead alliance, another faction of IOJ, led by its senior-vice-chairman Maulana Abdur Rakib, announced that Islami Oikya Jote will not desert the 20- party alliance.
Proclaiming himself the Jote chairman, Rakib made the announcement at a press briefing at BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office.
“Islami Oikya Jote is with the 20-party alliance and we’ll remain with them in the future,” Maulana Abdur Rakib said.
“Those who’ve decided to leave the 20-party alliance have done so violating the party’s constitution and they’ve lost their position in the party. We’ve replaced them,” said Rakib, also President of Bangladesh Nezam-e Islam, the main component of Islami Oikya Jote comprising of two parties, including Khelafat-e-Islam.
He said they will declare names of the party’s executive committee members within next 15 days. And the national convention of Islami Oikya Jote will be held on March 31 next, he added.
Rakib, also an advocate of the Supreme Court, said that a meeting of Nezame Islam’s executive committee, conducted by Abdul Latif Nizami, on Wednesday night had reached a consensus to remain with the 20-party alliance, led by Khaleda Zia.
Asked why they quit defying Wednesday’s decision, he said, “A big power might have worked behind what he (Nizami) has done,” but he declined to elaborate.
At the briefing, a list of 32-member committee of IOJ was provided to reporters.
New IOJ secretary general Moulana Abdul Karim Khan, its joint secretary Moulana Abdul Mazed Athari and publicity secretary Shawkat Amin were, among others, present.- Agencies
