Another JaPa split feared amid persistent tensions over polls losses

A number of senior and grassroot-level leaders of Jatiya Party has been expelled for publicly pointing fingers at the alleged irregularities of Chairman GM Quader and General Secretary Mujibul Haque Chunnu for the party's huge loss in 7 January elections.

The crisis signals yet another breakup in a party that has already suffered five splits since its founding in 1986 - as many party leaders have told The Business Standard the present tensions are unlikely to ease soon. 

On Sunday night, Presidium Member and President of the party's Dhaka North unit Shafiqul Islam Sentu as well as Vice-chairman Yayha Chowdhury were expelled from all posts within the party. 

Hours earlier at a meeting in the capital, the two leaders had strongly criticised alleged irregularities and authoritarian acts of GM Quader and Chunnu within the party. Some of those present at the meeting had also labelled the two top leaders as "frauds" and "conspirators."

On Thursday, the party also relieved Co-Chairman Kazi Firoz Rashid and Presidium Member Sunil Shuvo Roy of their duties over protests against financial scam and nepotism acts allegedly committed by Quader and Chunnu.

The main allegation is that GM Quader and Chunnu sacrificed 257 seats and decided to field candidates for only 26 seats in a seat-sharing agreement with the ruling party. The two leaders allegedly received money from the government for the 26 candidates.

However, only 11 of the 26 candidates won and none of the candidates got the sum due for them from the government. 

The winning candidates secured majority votes only in the seats where there was no independent candidate from the ruling Awami League. Even before the polls, many senior leaders felt frustrated for leaving out members allied with Raushan Ershad, widow of party's founding chairman Hussain Muhammad Ershad, in election plans. 

General Secretary Chunnu has said he would step down from his party role if anyone can credibly claim that he or party Chairman GM Quader had received financial benefits for the party or for its candidates before the elections.

Quader and Chunnu have hinted at unnamed individuals for instigating revolt within the party, but have also affirmed they would take decisive action against anyone breaking party regulations to ensure organisational unity.

Chunnu said it is very difficult to pinpoint the person causing a party rebellion and that he was speaking out of "anticipation."

He conceded that the party did not achieve expected poll results and took some of the onus on himself and party chairman for the loss. He and GM Quader wanted to discuss the issue internally with others, but before giving them a chance, party members have started revolting like during the "French Revolution," he said.

Chunnu brushed off concerns of another party breakup saying the ruling Awami League party has split 3-4 times. BNP also saw many breakups. Departure and entry of new party members is a natural process like boarding and deboarding a train, he commented.

Breakup of a party is a systematic process where executive body members lodge protests. Nothing of the sort is happening. A fringe group is causing chaos under the false belief that the party got cash from the government for election preparation and did not distribute it among the candidates, he claimed.

GM Quader asked if there is any evidence or testimony to prove that he and Chunnu received money for elections. Nobody had called up candidates to contest in elections and it was already declared that no financial benefits would be provided from the party for doing so, he said. Those who contested did so out of their own enthusiasm. 

Now some instigators are causing unrest over the issue, Quader alleged.

JaPa chairman also said the grassroot activists and leaders vested him with the responsibility to take election-related decisions. Following their recommendation, "he consulted senior leaders on every decision". Beyond these, "many other things happened", which he declined to elaborate.