Don’t be afraid, Saturday programme to continue: GM Quader to party men

Jatiya Party chairman GM Quader has said they would continue to protest the injustices and discrimination that they are facing even if it cost their lives.

The Jatiya Party would organise its programme scheduled to be held in the capital’s Kakrail Saturday, even if they have to risk their lives, GM Quader announced at a press conference at the Jatiya Party office in the capital's Banani on Friday.

At the press conference, he also highlighted the role of Jatiya Party from the ninth parliamentary election in 2008 to the 12th parliamentary election in 2024.

Earlier, a group of people, under the banner of ‘anti-fascist students, workers, and general citizens’, marched with a procession to the Jatiya Party headquarters. It led to chases there, with both sides throwing brick chips at each other. Later, the Jatiya Party office was set on fire. Jatiya Party said their leaders and activists were preparing for Saturday’s rally.

GM Quader strongly condemned Thursday’s events.

He said, “The programme that we have announced for 2 November, Saturday, will be held on time. Do not be afraid… We have come to die. We want to die. We want to see how many people they would kill. Keep in mind that the lessons of Islam is to protest injustice; if you cannot use your hands, speak up; if you cannot speak up, abhor the oppressors. We have to follow it and we are ready to give our lives for it.”

Referring to the recent events, GM Quader said, “We did not do any crime but we are being labelled as criminals. We do not know why it is happening.”

Asking why the Jatiya Party is being destroyed, GM Quader added, “Jatiya Party is a political party at the national level. We have come out of the grave despite being buried repeatedly. None could destroy us. Since we do politics of coexistence, we conducted no takeover, did no politics of terrorism, occupied no markets and jetties, and tortured no one. We have given people the good governance, devolvement, reform and democratic rights, and people remember it.”

GM Quader remarked that the conspiracy to destroy Jatiya Party began from 1990. They did not pay heed to the matter at the beginning after the mass uprising on 5 August, but now they feel that conspiracy is still on even after the interim government came to power.

He said, “We are being labelled as collaborators of Awami League but there is no justification of saying that. We formed a Grand Alliance with Awami League in the 9th parliament election in 2008, but we were not akin to her (Sheikh Hasina) all misdeeds, and that is proved.”

GM Quader said, “We have said repeatedly that we boycotted the election in 20204. Ershad was forcefully taken to the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka, and a smaller faction of the party was taken to election by creating rift within the party. BNP did not join the election, but they did join the local government election under the same government and election commission. Did it not give legitimacy to the government? All parties joined the elections in 2018. Like others, we also didn't want to join the elections in 2024; we were forced to join it. Many people have witnessed it and know it.”

Is the participation to elections a crime? Does something like this exist anywhere in the world, GM Quader asked.

He said, “I do politics, I run a party. My party will ally with whoever we want. I will join the election or not whenever I want. This is our party decision, what is the crime here. When I do not want to join the election I was being dragged into it by force. And when I went to the election, I and my family even receive death threats from various places.”

GM Quader said he informed the matter to various local and foreign media, as well as various places including Europe and the US.

Expressing frustration over the current situation, the Jatiya Party chairman said, “What kind of politics have we started in our country? I will do politics along with my party. My party will consider whom will I go with. I will consider, with whom I will go. Here force is being applied from both sides. It is not like that Sheikh Hasina applied force only; its influence is still on.”

Regarding this, GM Quader highlighted his personal and party role in the student-people movement.

He also raised question on whether people are enjoying the outcomes of that movement.

He said, “What we are seeing now is very unfortunate. The country has been divided into two groups. It seems several people took over the country. It does not seem now that we had cooperated with them, people cooperated with them. They will set who is guilty and innocent just like our previous prime minister Sheikh Hasina divided the country.”

GM Quader expressed frustration over chief adviser Muhammad Yunus’ role regarding the Jatiya Party.

He said, “We deem our chief adviser as the guardian of the nation. He is a very respectable man. Since the chief adviser’s closest person brought allegation against us but the chief adviser said nothing. So, we are considering that he has given a tacit support, and that is very unfortunate for us.”

“We will tell the chief adviser that you are the guardian of us and the country. Look at us equally. We all are your children. Everyone makes mistake. If we have made any mistake, punish us and then admire us.”

Jatiya Party secretary general Md Mujibul Haque Chunnu, presidium member Rezaul Islam Bhuyian and Alamgir Sikder, Sherifa Quader and other senior leaders were present at the press conference.