Bangladesh News

Jatiya Party (JP) legislator Golam Mohammad Quader along with a number of like-minded political colleagues began the groundwork to form a new political party in Rangpur and its adjoining districts.

GM Quader, younger brother of JP Chairman HM Ershad, formed two committees — one in Rangpur and another in Lalmonirhat — during his recent five-day visit to the northern districts.

Even though the committees were named Election Committee, he said the committees would be the core unit of the future party.

While talking to The Daily Star yesterday at his Rangpur home, Quader said, “We will form committees like these in a number of upazilas with an aim to form a new political party.”

He said, “Ershad might decide to join the BNP-Jamaat alliance. If he does so, we would turn the election committees into party committees.”

He said a number of JP leaders and MPs have the same opinion on forming a new party, adding that he would visit other districts of the country including Sylhet, Khulna, and Chittagong to form the election committees.

If JP formed alliance with BNP-Jamaat, he and his like-minded JP leaders would leave JP and contest the election from a new political platform, he reiterated.

He said Ershad is too busy saving himself rather than the people from the oppression and misrule of the BNP-Jamaat government. He (Ershad) seems to be leaning towards the BNP-led alliance, he added.

He said unlike Ershad, he works for the people and not for himself. “Ershad is my elder brother, I will honour him as long as I live but I can differ with his political opinion,” he added.

People of greater Rangpur who gave support to JP in the last three elections are now beginning to think from a new perspective, he said.

When asked if his party would form alliance with the Awami League-led 14-party opposition combine, Quader said it was too early to comment on that.

He, however, observed that the 14-party’s movement for reforms in the Election Commission (EC) and the caretaker government system was justified.