Expelled leaders of the Jatiya Party on Tuesday announced that they would hold the party鈥檚 national conference soon to elect its new leaders.
Anisul Islam Mahmud, one of the expelled leaders, made the announcement at a press conference at their 鈥榥ew central office鈥� in the capital鈥檚 Gulshan area.
Jatiya Party chairman Ghulam Muhammad Quader on Monday relieved the party secretary general Mujibul Haque Chunnu of his post, appointed former lawmaker Shamim Haider Patrawari as the party secretary general, and later expelled Chunnu, senior co-chairman Anisul Islam Mahmud and co-chairman ABM Ruhul Amin Hawlader from the party.
Within a day of their expulsion, a space in the capital鈥檚 Gulshan area was rented and declared the party鈥檚 new central office.
Addressing the press conference at the office, Anisul Islam Mahmud said, 鈥榃e want to hold our party鈥檚 national conference to elect a new central committee of the party.鈥�
He, without giving any specific timeframe, said that they would hold the national conference soon.
鈥楪M Quader鈥檚 moves are not acceptable and we still consider Mujibul Haque Chunna as our party secretary general,鈥� he said.聽
The leadership shake-up came amid rising tensions between two factions of the JP鈥檚 senior leadership. The divide became starkly visible after the announcement of the party鈥檚 national council last month, which exposed deepening rifts within the party, party insiders said.
They said that the party later postponed the national conference.
Anisul Islam Mahmud said at Tuesday鈥簊 press conference that the party chairman had no right to expel them after the past month鈥檚 announcement of holding the next national conference.聽
So, such expulsion is undemocratic and a clear violation of the party constitution, he said.
Expelled co-chairman ABM Ruhul Amin Hawlader, former party central leaders Kazi Firoz Rashid, Syed Abu Hossain Babla, presidium members Shafiqul Islam Sentu, Jahirul Islam Jahir, among others, attended the press conference.
The JP had earlier faced several splits after its formation on January 1, 1984.
