Jatiya Party Secretary General Mujibul Haque Chunnu has issued an unconditional apology to the nation for the party’s decision to participate in elections and join the cabinet under what he called the “fallen fascist” Awami League government.
Speaking at the party’s 10th council held at the Emmanuel Party Centre in Gulshan on Saturday, Chunnu said that while the party committed no illegal act by joining elections, it may have made moral mistakes.
“If there has been any moral lapse or error in judgment, I stand here today on behalf of the Jatiya Party to unconditionally apologise to the people,” he said.
Chunnu admitted that political decisions are not always correct and that past electoral participation has led critics to label the party as an ally of other political forces.
He stressed, however, that the Jatiya Party is committed to peaceful politics, describing it as a “modern democratic party” that will operate within the law and called for cooperation from all political parties and the government.
The council was presided over by Acting Chairman Barrister Anisul Islam Mahmud, with Co-Chairman ABM Ruhul Amin Hawlader delivering the welcome speech.
Jatiya Party (JP) Chairman Anwar Hossain Manju attended as chief guest, along with party Co-Chairman Kazi Firoz Rashid and other leaders.
The council took place in the absence of party chairman GM Quader, brother of the party’s late founder and former military ruler Hussain Muhammad Ershad.
Internal disputes have long plagued the Jatiya Party, and the latest rift intensified after Quader, on July 7, removed 10 senior leaders including Anisul Islam Mahmud, ABM Ruhul Amin Hawlader, and Mujibul Haque Chunnu.
The removed leaders challenged the decision in court, which on July 31 imposed a temporary injunction on Quader and Joint Office Secretary Mahmud Alam from carrying out organisational duties.
Subsequently, a party statement signed by Office Secretary MA Razzak Khan named Anisul Islam Mahmud as acting chairman.
On August 8, Mahmud, Hawlader, and Chunnu announced the national conference, claiming they had been reinstated by court order, while Quader was barred from organisational activities. Chunnu said the decision to hold the council was taken to “free the party from organisational stagnation” and to rebuild unity.
The Jatiya Party last held a council in December 2019. Since the death of Ershad that year, disputes over party control have been public between Quader and Ershad’s widow, Raushan Ershad. Both factions maintained ties with Sheikh Hasina’s government, with several leaders – including Anisul and Chunnu – serving as ministers in her cabinet.
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