No party can decide who gets to do politics: JaPa chief

Jatiya Party Chairman and former foreign minister Barrister Anisul Islam Mahmud has called for inclusive politics to ensure national stability, warning that no political party should have the authority to decide which parties can participate in the country's political process.

Addressing Bangladesh's economic challenges, law and order concerns, energy shortages and rising living costs, Mahmud said political inclusiveness was essential to establishing stability and addressing the problems affecting ordinary citizens.

“Excluding any party from politics is not an option. No party will decide who can engage in politics and who cannot. That decision belongs to the people.''

He cited past attempts to pursue politics without Jamaat-e-Islami, arguing that the consequences of such an approach had already been witnessed by the nation.

Mahmud made the remarks as the chief guest at a discussion marking Upazila Day at the Jatiya Party office in Gulshan on Saturday morning.

He said the government needed to take effective measures to address economic difficulties, improve law and order, control commodity prices and ensure public safety. At the same time, it should create an environment conducive to inclusive politics to secure broader political stability.

Presiding over the event, Jatiya Party leader ABM Ruhul Amin Howlader highlighted the importance of the upazila system introduced under former president Hussain Muhammad Ershad, popularly known as Palli Bandhu.

He said the system was designed to bring government services closer to citizens and extend administrative services and development activities to grassroots communities.

The upazila structure remains an important mechanism for resolving local problems and making public services more accessible, Howlader said, calling for further initiatives to make the system more effective and people-friendly.

He stressed that citizens should be able to access essential government services in their own localities without having to travel long distances.

Howlader also called on all political parties to play a responsible role in preventing political instability and division from harming ordinary people.

He said the Jatiya Party believed in responsible and constructive politics that prioritised public interests.

The discussion underscored the party's call for greater political inclusion alongside stronger local governance, as Bangladesh faces economic pressures and continuing concerns over public security and political stability.