Ershad in press conference: Jatiya Party will not go to elections to put Kao in power

The Dhaka Times Desk Jatiya Party Chairman Hussain Muhammad Ershad said, Jatiya Party will not go to the elections without the participation of all parties. He said this at a press conference organized by Jatiya Party at 12 noon today.

H. at the press conference. M. Ershad said, we have said earlier that the election will not be acceptable without the participation of all parties, and Jatiya Party will not participate in that election. He said, the Jatiya Party will not go to the elections to put someone in power. Ershad said that yesterday Awami League General Secretary Syed Ashraf's statement that he is in the National Party Grand Alliance is not true.

Jatiya Party Chairman Hussain Muhammad Ershad commented that 'fair elections are not possible under the current Election Commission'.

When reminded of his meeting with the Prime Minister yesterday, H. M. Ershad said that there was no discussion with the Prime Minister about not being in the Grand Alliance.

Ershad claimed that Syed Ashraf's statement yesterday that the Jatiya Party will go to the elections even if the BNP does not go to the polls is not true. Ershad claimed in the press conference that there was no such discussion.

H. M. Ershad also said, 'There was no discussion between us in the meeting about leaving the Grand Alliance or participating in the elections from the Grand Alliance. But I was shocked by the information that Syed Ashraf gave to the media about the meeting. His statement is completely false, baseless and unfortunate. He humiliated, belittled my team. I hope he will withdraw his misleading statement.'

When reporters asked what was discussed in the meeting with the Prime Minister last night, Ershad said, 'We want to know who will be the head of the all-party government proposed by the Prime Minister in his speech.' In reply, the Prime Minister said that he will be the head. Apart from this, Ershad told the Prime Minister that the matter of banning the meetings and gatherings in Dhaka has not been decided the day after the Prime Minister's speech. In response, the Prime Minister said that the ban on domestic gatherings has been lifted. However, there will be a ban on outdoor gatherings. The government has information that the opposition may sabotage. Ershad said that such a decision has been taken in that context.

It is to be noted that after the meeting with the Prime Minister last night, Party Secretary General Ruhul Amin Hawladar said in an immediate response to reporters that Jatiya Party will hold elections alone outside the Grand Alliance.