Jatiya Party (JP) is united under the leadership of GM Quader. The news of Jatiya Partys Kakrail headquarters in the capital being captured by intruders is not true, said JP Joint Office Secretary Mahmud Alam.
However, Raushans faction of the Jatiya Party (JP) claims they held office activities after occupying the office.
Mahmud Alam told the Daily Observer: "I received a call from the office around 8 am. Our security guard informed me that some expelled leaders entered our party office with intruders. They stayed on the ground floor for 15 minutes and then left. They laid wreaths at the picture of our party founder and late President Hussain Muhammad Ershad, and told the media that they had occupied the office."
Visiting the JP Kakrail office at 7:00 PM, the reporter observed that no leaders and activists of Raushan Ershad were present in front of the office. Leaders aligned with GM Quader were inside the office. No pro-Raushan Ershad activists were seen.
Supporters of Raushan Ershad held a media briefing after occupying the Jatiya Partys headquarters in Dhakas Kakrail for approximately one and a half hours.
Around 10:30 am on Friday, 50 party members led by Kazi Mamunur Rashid, the acting Secretary General of Raushans faction, gathered at the office in Bijoy Nagar. They entered the building after paying tribute to the partys founder HM Ershad.
A press release by JP on Friday stated: "Some news media have spread misleading news regarding the capture of our Kakrail Office. This news is false and fabricated and has no resemblance to reality. JP is united under the leadership of GM Quader across the country. We request Jatiya Party leaders and activists not to be misled by any misleading news."
Internal strife has been a longstanding issue within the main opposition in parliament, and the discord over leadership intensified after the death of Ershad in 2019.
Ershads wife Raushan and brother GM Quader have repeatedly asserted their desire for greater control than the other.
The rift resurfaced on January 28 when Raushan declared herself the party chief, dismissing Chairman Quader and General Secretary Mojibul Haque Chunnu from their roles.
Chunnu, however, dismissed Raushans claim to party leadership, stating that her "ceremonial" role as chief patron does not grant her decision-making power within the party.
Amidst the infighting, Quader was named the Leader of the Official Opposition in parliament as the Jatiya Party became the main opposition party for a third consecutive term.
Mamunur criticized Quader and Chunnu for "damaging the partys image." He stated, "Under the leadership of Raushan Ershad, we now have a strong, revitalised group to take the party forward."
