Former military dictator HM Ershad, who was brought down by a popular movement led by Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia, now thinks the bickering between the two leaders provides an opening for his Jatiya Party (JP).
Speaking at a party event on Monday, he called on his supporters to seize the 'opportunity'.
"An opportunity has come. The people do not want the two leaders any more.
"The failure of one and the lust for power of another...an opportunity has come and we need to take it," he said.
Ershad, whose party is the Opposition in Parliament, came down hard on both the ruling Awami League and the BNP.
"She (Khaleda) wanted to hold a rally on the 5th, why didn't you (govt) allow? Fine, you did so, but why did you put the spotlight on her by besieging her at office by sand-loaded trucks and locking up the gate?" an agitated Ershad, who is the special envoy to the prime minister, said.
"It's you (the govt) who is introducing BNP as the opposition in the international area. Khaleda Zia is on news headlines. Why are you giving her so much leverage?"
The JP leader also criticised the rulers for snapping power connections of the BNP chief's office.
"The truth is that the government has failed in all avenues. It failed to provide public safety. We cannot get out on the street; our children can't go to schools."
He also expressed fears of emergence of an 'invisible force'.
"The government had said everything would be normal within seven days, but that did not happen, because an invisible force has emerged in the country. "A war cannot be waged against an invisible force," said Ershad, who is set to leave for India on Tuesday.    ?bdnews24.com