City Desk :
National Party Chairman GM Kader has stated that Jatiya Party (JaPa) was never an associate of Awami League.
“We were never allies of the Awami League; we were always allies of the people.
The Jatiya party shares ideological similarities with the BNP, but there is no similarity in character. The party has always been blackmailed. Since 1990, the Jatiya Party has been subjected to oppression and conspiracy. That conspiracy continues to this day., reports media.
“The Awami League forced the Jatiya Party into the elections, which severely harmed our party. Did I go to the elections to become a minister? I was already a minister in 2008. I resigned due to disagreements with the then prime minister. I never engage in politics for the sake of ministerial positions.”
He said: “In the 2014 election, the Jatiya Party boycotted the elections. Out of 300 seats, I, along with 270 candidates, withdrew our nominations. I did not participate in the 2014 elections nor in Parliament. Although the Awami League wanted to offer me a ministerial position, I refused.”
“We did not harm the people; we tried to benefit them. In 2014, when we decided to boycott the elections, the government created another group and used their ‘Lango’ symbol to facilitate their entry into the elections. I did not believe it. That’s why we boycotted the elections with 270 candidates.”
Quader mentioned: “We wanted to boycott the 2024 elections as well. We were forced to participate in the elections, as everyone knows. December 17 was the last day to withdraw nominations, and we wanted to hold a press conference to announce our boycott. However, various forces and agencies surrounded our office and prevented us from holding the press conference and announcing the boycott.”
“Because we were forced into the elections, our political standing was damaged. We could not boycott the elections as per the people’s expectations. If the Awami League had not fallen, our party would have been dissolved. If the Awami League had not fallen, no party would have remained in Bangladesh.Only the Awami League would have existed.”
The Jatiya Party leader said: “In the 1991 elections, the late President and founder of the party, Hussain Muhammad Ershad, won five seats while in jail. The people elected Ershad as a Member of Parliament; how can you call him a dictator? If you are democratic-minded, you can never call Ershad a dictator.”
“H M Ershad was a popular leader. He never lost an election. In every election, the people elected him, indicating that Ershad was never a dictator. Even though the Jatiya Party could not be active in the 1991 elections, Ershad still won five seats from jail. The party won 36 seats in that election.”