JP MPs asked to stay off Monday's JS session

The tussle between General HM Ershad and Communication Minister Anwar Hossain Manju on courting the party MPs reached a new height yesterday as the Jatiya Party chief unleashed his whip on fellow lawmakers in a rare move in the country's parliamentary history.

The former general has asked all party MPs to stay off the parliament session on Monday when President Shahabuddin Ahmed will deliver his new year address.

A letter, signed by Ershad himself, was sent to all 33 MPs, including the communication minister, asking them not to attend Monday's session in line with a decision of the newly-formed alliance of JP with BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami and IOJ.

The letter, with copies to the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker, was released to the press yesterday.

Sources close to Manju said the ministers and his supporters were surprised at the whip mailed to all by Ershad himself.

"Normally such a letter follows meetings of the parliamentary party signed by the whip of the party. But the letter signed by him exposes that he is not sure about his control over the party MPs," a source close to Manju said.

"The question naturally arises on the state of his mind. He is definitely feeling insecure over his whip on the MPs even though there is a possibility that more MPs would side with him."

The source hinted that it could be possible that not many, even none, including Manju, would attend Monday's session.

The "unwilling" absentees would have the argument that the session is coming after the long Eid holidays and going into recess for four days, according to the source.

But a final showdown is not immediately on the cards as both sides are going slow as they try to woo and court as many MPs as possible, JP sources said.

Only Manju has requested the Chief Whip Abul Hasnat Abdullah to move his seat on the treasury bench away from Ershad's.

Meanwhile, a JP presidium member fired a warning salvo to possible defectors.

"If anyone from JP attends Monday's session violating the party decision might lose his or her membership," presidium member Kazi Firoz Rashid said, speaking to The Daily Star.

"Party MPs must abide by the whipping, otherwise the party will proceed toward its own course," the JP leader said.