Tuesday, 10 December 2013

Govt creating smokescreen

The party has four ministers, two state ministers in the election-time, interim government, and an adviser to the Prime Minister.

“We have tried submitting the resignation letters to the Prime Minister’s Office but faced repeated hurdles,” Ershad told media persons in his house in capital Dhaka’s Baridhara on Monday.

Ershad asked his party men to resign from the election-time government on 3 Dec, a day after he had announced the boycott ofthe upcoming election.

Jatiya Party's Secretary General, ABM Ruhul Amin Howlader, is the Civil Aviation and Tourism Affairs Minister, presidium member Md Mujibul Haque Chunnu the State Minister for Youth and Sports and Salma Islam the State Minister for Women and Chilren.

On Dec 4, Howlader, Islam and Chunnu submitted their resignation letters to their boss Ershad.

Ershad’s wife Raushan Ershad is the Health and Family Minister, Anisul Islam Mahmud the Water Resources Minister, Ghulam Muhammed Quader the Communications Minister in the polls-time government.

Another Jatiya Party presidium member, Ziauddin Ahmed, is Adviser to the Prime Minister.

It was not initially clear whether Raushan, Mahmud, Quader and Ahmed would resign.

But Ershad said on Sunday that all the resignation letters had reached him.

“Resignation letters were sent by post yesterday (Sunday),” he said on Monday.

“The party’s Secretary General is now (at the time of the press meet) in the office of the Honourable Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary to hand him the resignation letters.”

The ministers and state ministers belonging to Jatiya Party did not attend Monday's cabinet meeting.

Asked when the party candidates would withdraw their nominations, Ershad said, “We will withdraw them by 13 Dec.”

As per the election schedule, 13 Dec is the last date for the withdrawals.

Ershad, too, has filed his nominations, from three constituencies.

Asked when he would call off his candidacy, the former President said, “Wait, you will get a press release.”

Widely criticised for frequently changing his stance, Ershad was bombarded with queries relating to the next election.

Would he reconsider his decision and take part in the polls?

He ruled out any such possibility. “I hear there is talk about giving 100 seats to the Jatiya Party.”

“It won’t help even if you give 200 seats.”

Ershad stressed he would not join the polls unless all parties took part in it.

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