BNP –led anti-government alliance ‘Jatiya Oikya Front’ is no more as it has been divided into several groups while the Gonoforum itself has already been split into several factions.
From the events it is clearly evident that Dr. Kamal Hossain has lost control of his party.
As a result, several parties of the alliance are now trying to form different alliances by blaming each other.
Although the alliance has no activities since the last one year, their allies, including BNP, are carrying out different programmes avoiding the alliance.
Meanwhile, many of the leaders of Gonoforum are now active to reform the party keeping Dr. Kamal Hossain away.
It may be recalled that Dr. Kamal Hossain of Gonoforum, along with BNP, had announced the Jatiya Oikya Front on October 13 in 2018 to continue movement against the government. Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal led by ASM Abdur Rob, Nagorik Oikya of Mahmudur Rahman Manna, a faction of BikalpaDhara led by Nurul Amin Bepari, Krishak-Shramik Janata League of Abdul Kader Siddique, Dr Zafarullah Chowdhury of Gonoswastha Kendra also had joined the anti-government alliance.
But, Abdul Kader Siddique already left the alliance formally immediately after the national elections.
Recently, Mahmudur Rahman Manna of Nagorik Oikya and Dr Zafarullah Chowdhury of Gonoswastha Kendra also have almost left the Jatiya Oikya Front. They are now working together with Zonayed Saki of Gonosonghati Andolon and former DUCSU VP Nurul Huq Nur.
Earlier on February 26, they already announced a separate platform jointly by Mahmudur Rahman Manna of Nagorik Oikya, Dr Zafarullah Chowdhury of Gonoswastha Kendra, Zonayed Saki of Gonosonghati Andolon and Nurul Huq Nur of Chhatra-Jubok-Shramik Odhikar Parishad.
Talking to a daily newspaper about the Jatiya Oikya Front, BNP’s standing committee member Dr Khandokar Mosharraf Hossain said, “The Jatiya Oikya Front is not yet abolished, but it is ineffective. It has no activities.”
Khandokar Mosharraf Hossain also said that their party BNP now was trying to form a greater national alliance and BNP was holding dialogue with different parties.
On the other hand, Dr. Kamal Hossain's Gonoforum is practically divided into two parts. Ignoring Dr. Kamal's objections, party’s former general secretary Mostafa Mohsin Montu and two former executive presidents-- Prof Abu Sayeed and Advocate Subrata Chowdhury-- led an extended meeting held at the National Press Club on February 27.
At the meeting, they also decided to hold a two-day- long council of the party on May 28 and 29 in Dhaka. Besides, a 21-member steering committee was announced to conduct the organisational activities till the next council. The meeting formed a national executive committee with Abu Sayyid as convener and a 201-member council preparation committee with Montu as convener and Subrata Chowdhury as member secretary.
Asked, Subrata Chowdhury said, “Kamal Hossain is still the president of the party. If he wants to be the president of our council again, the councilors will decide it.
However, Dr Kamal Hossain claimed that the Jatiya Oikya Front is still effective. At a press conference on Saturday at National Press Club, he also claimed that there is no reasons of telling that his party Gonoforum is divided into groups.
“If some of the people go out of the party, it matters little. The Gonoforum is united and doing the correct things”, he said.
