AL in power: Blessing or curse for JP?

JATIYA Party (JP), the opposition in parliament, has plunged into another spell of turmoil. Two of its MPs, state minister for LGRD Mashiur Rahman Ranga and opposition chief whip Tajul Islam Chowdhury were dropped from the party's presidium, the party's highest policy making body. And Ershad and some of his party loyalists boycotted JP's parliamentary party meeting held on Sunday. Raushan Ershad, also the leader of the opposition, held the meeting and extended support to Ranga and Tajul. The meeting also foiled Ershad's so-called move to force the party MPs to resign from the Sheikh Hasina-led cabinet. The meeting decided that those who are in the cabinet will not resign from their office until fresh decision is made reversing the latest one. There may be further developments in the party in the coming days and it will not be unlikely if the Raushan-led faction of the party takes more steps to sideline Ershad further.  

Ershad, who has been facing a number of criminal cases including Gen Manzur's murder, may be unable to consolidate his position in the party as his rival faction has been enjoying the blessing of the government since the one-sided January 5 parliamentary election. This has brought fortunes for many in the JP. The party has emerged as the main opposition in parliament and Raushan the leader of the opposition with status of a minister, thanks for the blessing.

One may argue that Raushan was rewarded by the government for her stance that foiled Ershad's bid to quit the January 5 parliamentary election. JP MPs, who were inducted in the Sheikh Hasina led election time cabinet and some other leaders, had backed Raushan, thus preventing Ershad from taking JP out of the electoral race. Even he could not quit the race himself. Those days were full of drama.    Ershad may not find any other alternative but to accept more humiliations in the coming days for his failure to stick to any decision.  

The fast growing crisis in his party has triggered the question whether JP will experience fresh split? Past records strongly suggest that history may repeat itself. The party has faced several splits in the past when Awami League was in power. And every time JP faced the split because of its decision to join the AL-led cabinet and supporting the Hasina-led government.

Ershad, who was ousted through a mass upsurge in December 1990 and put behind bars on various corruption charges, extended his party's support to Hasina-led government in 1996 from jail. Even his party's secretary general Anwar Hossain Manju was made a minister in Sheikh Hasina's cabinet. That decision brought fortunes for Ershad who was eventually released from jail on bail and joined the parliament. But it brought curse for his party finally. Centring that decision, his party broke up for the first time when Manju refused to quit the cabinet. Some of the JP MPs extended support to Manju. Ershad formed an electoral alliance with BNP and started street agitation against the AL-led government. But he could not maintain his relation with the BNP-led alliance. Under reported pressure form the then AL-led government, Ershad announced to quit the BNP-led alliance. His announcement resulted in another split in his party before the 2001 parliamentary election. This time Naziur Rahman Manzur led the revolt and formed another faction of JP.

When BNP assumed office through 2001 parliamentary polls, JP MPs maintained good relation with the then government and did not follow the main opposition AL in boycotting the parliament. Following a series of events Ershad rejoined the AL-led grand alliance at the fag end of the BNP-led government's tenure. The AL-led grand alliance won a landslide victory in the December 2008 national polls. JP under leadership of Ershad joined the cabinet. His brother GM Quader was made a cabinet minister. This time Ershad seemed to have emerged with a different strategy. He did not allow any other of his party MPs to join the cabinet. Many in JP believed that Ershad had opted for this strategy as a means to avert any further split in the party. But this did not work successfully. At the end of the immediate past AL-led government's tenure, intra party conflict got momentum due to Ershad's decision to join the Hasina-led election time government. Ershad was accused by the dissident leaders of breaching his earlier announcement that his party would not join the polls if other opposition parties did not join. Ershad expelled his party's senior leader Kazi Zafar Ahmed accusing him of leading the dissidents in the party. Kazi Zafar and a group of dissident leaders formed a new party in November 2013.

The ongoing turmoil in the JP has raised an important question: will the party experience another split? The crisis the party is facing now will in no way yield any positive result whether the party split or not. This will in no way boost the morale of its leaders, supporters and activists countrywide. The turmoil will also prevent the party from playing any constructive role in the parliament as the main opposition. The crisis, on the other hand, will further empower Sheikh Hasina to increase her control over JP as some of the party leaders have already sought her interference in resolving the party stalemate. Even Ershad, who has been facing challenge within his party, to pick the deputy leader of the opposition in parliament, has met the premier to settle the dispute. Ershad and Raushan have severe disagreements over nominating a party leader to the post of the deputy leader of the opposition. Given the prevailing situation one may question whether the assumption of office by the AL is a blessing for JP or a curse for it? Blessing perhaps for those who want to enjoy power anyhow, and curse for others.

The writer is Senior Reporter, The Daily Star.