Jatiya Party council session elects Rawshan chief patron, Quader chairman

Jatiya Party’s ninth national council session on Saturday elected the party’s founder HM Ershad’s widow Rawshan Ershad as the chief patron for life and Ershad’s  younger brother GM Quader as the chairman for the next three years.

After being elected the chairman, Quader, as per the party charter, appointed Mashiur Rahman Ranga as secretary general.

He said that the names of the seven co-chairmen, 54 presidium members, eight additional secretaries general and others of the 299-member central committee would be announced later.

Rawshan, the leader of the opposition in parliament, however, was not present at the session held at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh in Dhaka. 

Some party leaders ahead of the council session said that the senior co-chairperson of the immediately expired committee Rawshan expressed her desire to be chairperson.

Being the chief patron of the party, which had been included by amending Section 21(1) of the charter during the council session, would give her honour over the party chairman at the rallies and meetings but the post would have no executive function, the charter amendment committee convener Sunil Shuvo Roy told New Age.

‘She will hold the post till death and it will be automatically cancelled after her death,’ said Sunil, also a presidium member.    

It was the first council session of the party after the demise of Ershad on July 14.

The council session was inaugurated in the morning by hoisting the national flag by Quader and the party flag by Mashiur.

Quader, as the chairman of the immediacy expired committee, announced 18-point work plans if the party assumes in power, including, establishment of the provincial government, strengthening the upazila system and reformation of the education and health sectors.

Presidium members Anisul Islam Mahmud, ABM Ruhul Amin Howlader, Kazi Firoz Rashid, Syed Abu Hossain Babla, Mujibul Haque Chunnu, and Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu, and others at the session called all the leaders and activists of the party to be united under the leadership of Quader.

As Anisul was narrating the contribution of Rawshan in the party, the delegates started shouting at him terming him a ‘collaborator’ of the ruling Awami League.

They stopped when Anisul said that Rawshan also had told him that she wanted Quader to be chairman.

The ruling Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader on behalf of his party delivered a speech at the council session and glorified both Jatiya Party and its founder HM Ershad. 

Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its allies were not invited to the council session as per decision of the party leadership, the council publicity sub-committee member secretary Manirul Islam Milan told New Age.

The council session also approved the amendment of the party charter proposed by GM Quader’s press and political secretary Sunil Shuvo Roy following its approval by the presidium on Friday. 

Following the amendment, the number of co-chairmen post increased from two to seven and new eight posts of additional secretary general were created for operating activities at eight divisions.

‘They will be picked by the chairman from the presidium members and they will simultaneously hold two positions, Sunil said.

The amendment of charter partially curtailed the chairman’s power of taking unilateral decision as practiced frequently by the late military dictator turned politician Ershad.

After the amendment of the Section 20(2) GA, the chairman will have to discuss with the co-chairmen, secretary general and additional secretary generals in case of any urgency and the decision will have to be placed for the approval of the presidium, Sunil said.

Several presidium members said that the presidium meeting, chaired by GM Quader, on Friday decided that Anisul Islam Mahmud would be the senior co-chairman and ABM Ruhul Amin Howlader, Kazi Firoz Rashid, Syed Abu Hossain Babla, Mujibul Haque Chunnu, Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu and retired lieutenant general Masud Uddin Chowdhury co-chairmen.

They said that the full committee would be announced issuing press release today.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net