Jp founding anniversary: Shadow cast on celebrations

As rifts persist between Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader and the chief patron Raushan Ershad, the party is going to mark its 37th founding anniversary today.

The rivalry started over who gets to be at the helm of the party when JP founder HM Ershad fell terminally ill early 2019.

The conflict reached its peak after Ershad died in July that year. Since then, the rift between the pro-Raushan and pro-Quader groups has frequently been on the headlines.

In September 2019 the party got split. Although the party got united later with Quader as its chief and Raushan as the chief patron, the feud persisted.

Raushan's political secretary Golam Moshi, also leader of the opposition in parliament, yesterday told The Daily Star that the division between the groups barely existed now and both Raushan and Quader would be on the same stage to mark the party's anniversary.

Raushan will be the chief guest at the programme at JP's central office at the capital's Kakrail. Usually, the party chief gets to be the chief guest at such programmes.

But Quader will not be able to speak at the event this year because of a court restriction on him performing his tasks as the JP chairman, said JP Secretary General Mujibul Haque Chunnu who will preside over the event today.

Golam Moshi said the presence of Raushan and Quader will be a message to the party's grassroots that most of the differences will be gone soon.

Chunnu claimed there are no rifts in the JP.

"Those who talk about the groups and divisions, either do not belong to the party or have got expelled from the organisation," he said.

Currently, the JP's challenge is to find 300 suitable candidates to participate in the next general election.

In a meeting on December 13, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urged Raushan and Quader to resolve their conflicts and strengthen the party to be able to participate in the next election independently.

The latest conflict started brewing when Raushan on August 31 convened the party's 10th council for November 26.

Due to alleged government pressure, Raushan postponed the council later.

Insiders said pro-Raushan groups planned to oust Quader from the party helm at the council.

On September 1, the pro-Quader group at a meeting decided to remove Raushan from the post of the opposition leader.

In recent days, Quader has been fiercely criticising the government.

Aggrieved by his criticism, the ruling Awami League high-ups allegedly started backing the pro-Raushan groups, sources said.

Ershad seized state power through a coup in March 1982 and formed the JP on January 1, 1986.