Speculations over Kader Siddique's return to AL as he meets PM Hasina
Kader Siddique, president of the Krishak Sramik Janata League (KSJL), has met prime minister and Awami League president Sheikh Hasina along with his family members, on the eve of the ruling party’s national council.
They went to the prime minister’s official residence Ganabhaban on Friday evening and stayed there for over an hour.
The meeting sparked a speculation if Kader Siddique, who was once associated with Awami League, is returning to his previous party.
Talking to Prothom Alo over the phone, the KSJL president said he, in response to a call by the prime minister, went there around 6:00 pm in the evening and had discussions with her for around 1.5 hours.
Asked about the speculation over his return to the ruling party, Kader Siddique said, “Anyone can speculate anything. I have nothing to say in this regard. Since prime minister Sheikh Hasina has called me, it is better to know the reason from her.”
Regarding the topics of discussion, he said they had a lot of gossip in a family environment. When asked if there was any discussion on contemporary political issues, Kader Siddique said, “When two political personalities meet, there will certainly be political discussions.”
The KSJL president also said he considers Sheikh Hasina as a sister and respects her like a mother. Is there any possibility to do politics under the leadership of this respected personality? He replied, “I left Awami League. But I hold Bangabandhu in my bosom. There is nothing called the last word in politics.”
His party joined the Oikya Front, a now-defunct BNP-led alliance, before the national election in 2018. He, as a representative of the alliance, took part in two dialogues with prime minister Sheikh Hasina before the election.
The Oikya Front, however, is now defunct. The BNP and other like-minded parties chalked out a simultaneous movement against the current regime.
According to sources, the ruling party has been in efforts to increase the number of its political allies. It has a plan to forge a greater alliance through inclusion of new parties to the ruling 14-party coalition.
Kader Siddique had reportedly taken attempts to join the ruling party when his brother, Latif Siddique, was removed from the cabinet for hurting religious sentiment. Also, there is a possibility to include his party in the ruling 14-party alliance.
The Friday meeting fueled the speculation that Kader Siddique might return to the ruling party and it was part of the process of his return.