BNP may be asked to leave Jamaat: Kamal [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

BNP may be asked to leave Jamaat: Kamal

Local January 13, 2019

Jatiya Oikya Front convener and Gono Forum president Dr Kamal Hossain said on Saturday that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party might be asked leave the Jamaat-e-Islami.
He made the remarks replying a query at a press conference after a meeting of the Gono Forum central committee that urged the government to hold a fresh and proper national election in two to three months in the interest of the nation.
The meeting, however, made no decision on the swearing in of two of its candidates who won the December 30 general election, marred by flaws and fraud.
Reading out a written statement, Gono Forum general secretary Mostafa Mohsin Montu said some inadvertent mistakes were made during hurried formation of the Jatiya Oikya Front. A strong national unity has to be built correcting the mistakes, he added.
Replying to a volley of questions about Jamaat, Kamal said that the Gono Forum never did politics with Jamaat and would never do in future.
Asked whether inclusion of Jamaat in the electoral alliance was a mistake, he said, ‘In my opinion that was also a mistake.’
He said he already publicly stated that he did not know and was not informed about nominating about 25 Jamaat candidates for contesting in the December 30 elections with BNP’s electoral symbol sheaf of paddy, which was also shared by Oikya Front.
Asked whether they would pressure BNP to leave Jamaat, Kamal said it could be made.
Asked if BNP does not leave Jamaat what would be their stance, he said a hypothetical question could not be answered.
He said the government could decide to hold a fresh and proper general election within two to three months in the interest of the country and showing respect to the constitution.
Asked whether Jatiya Oikya Front or the candidates contested would file case with the High Court challenging the December 30 election fraud, Kamal, an eminent jurist, said that the candidates would file cases with election tribunal in the High Court.
At the press conference at Gono Forum central office at Arambagh in Dhaka, Mostafa Mohsin Montu said that they formed the Oikya Front with BNP not with the BNP-led alliance, in which Jamaat was a party.
He said that they had questioned Jamaat candidates’ nominations and BNP secretary general told them that they nominated none as Jamaat but candidates of sheaf of paddy.
The Gono Forum definitely wants a solution to the issue, he said.
He said that they would make a decision through discussion about taking oath by the two Gono Forum lawmakers-elect — Sultan Muhammad Mansur and Mokabbir Khan.
The Oikya Front earlier decided that none of its seven elected candidates — six from BNP and two from the Gono Forum — would take oath as lawmakers.
Mostafa Mohsin Montu said that the meeting decided that the Gono Forum would hold its national council session in Dhaka in March 23-24.
The party would immediately begin organisational tour in districts to strengthen constitutional movement for restoring democracy.
Gono Forum leaders, including Subrata Chowdhury, Reza Kibria, Mokabbir Khan, Mushtaque Ahmed, Mahbub Hossain and Rafiqul Islam Pathik, were present.