Jatiya Party (JP) chairman GM Quader has removed three of the party’s senior leaders– Anisul Islam Mahmud, ABM Ruhul Amin Hawlader, and Md Mujibul Haque Chunnu– from all party posts after appointing Barrister Shamim Haider Patwari as the new secretary general.
The removal of the three leaders was announced through a press release issued to the media just an hour after Mujibul Haque was relieved of his secretary general post.
According to a statement from the JP central office, during a views-exchange meeting on June 25, district and metropolitan presidents and general secretaries brought allegations of party discipline violations against the three senior leaders, demanding disciplinary action.
Subsequently, in a presidium meeting on June 28, the decision to relieve them of all party responsibilities was taken. Exercising constitutional authority, the JP chairman implemented the decision, which has already come into effect, it said.
Before their removal, senior leaders Anisul Islam Mahmud and Ruhul Amin Hawlader publicly opposed the appointment of Shamim Haider Patwari as the new secretary general, terming the move highly undemocratic, unconstitutional, and a direct violation of the party charter. They claimed this reflected a dictatorial, individual-centric decision that posed a threat to the party’s existence.
On Monday afternoon, a party statement confirmed the appointment of Barrister Shamim Haider Patwari, a former MP, as the new secretary general, replacing Mujibul Haque Chunnu. The statement, sent to the media by JP chairman GM Quader’s press secretary Khandakar Delwar Jalali, highlighted that the change was made per the chairman’s constitutional powers.
The two senior leaders, Anisul Islam Mahmud and Ruhul Amin Hawlader, responded in a joint statement calling Chunnu the legitimate, honourable secretary general of JP, and rejected the chairman’s unilateral appointment of Patwari as completely illegal before the party’s upcoming council.
They said removing Chunnu without justification and appointing Patwari was nothing short of a grave breach of democracy and the constitution.
They further stated that the national council of JP had already been declared in line with the presidium’s decision, so any appointment or expulsion before the council was illegal. They condemned what they described as politically vindictive and unethical behaviour and called on all committed party activists to unite against autocratic actions.
Shamim Haider Patwari, newly appointed secretary general, spoke to the Times of Bangladesh in an exclusive interview Monday evening.
He stated that those expelled for breaking party discipline would not be taken back under any circumstances, and that he would reorganise the party with fresh young blood.
Patwari, a Supreme Court lawyer and former MP from Gaibandha-1, said the party had specific complaints from grassroots leaders against some senior figures, including Chunnu, which were discussed in the presidium before their dismissal.
He stressed that JP must now work for the welfare of the people by engaging with youth, and that no conspiracies would be tolerated.
According to Patwari, the late Hussein Muhammad Ershad’s dream was to build a people-oriented party, but after Ershad’s death, an opportunistic group tried to undermine GM Quader’s leadership. Patwari warned that those expelled have no right to speak for JP, and any moves from them would be deemed conspiracies.
The infighting in JP has been brewing since GM Quader postponed the party’s planned council session on June 16, citing venue issues. However, a faction led by Anisul Islam Mahmud and Ruhul Amin Hawlader insisted on holding the council on the previously declared date, before stepping back later.
Patwari, who previously served as Ershad’s adviser, JP’s additional secretary general, and president of the party’s Sundarganj Upazila unit, reiterated that grassroots activists had identified the conspirators, and the party would move forward respecting their decisions.
He said that JP would go to every doorstep across villages to serve the public and resist conspiracies together with the grassroots.
Many senior JP figures who were active during Ershad’s era– such as Anisul Islam Mahmud, ABM Ruhul Amin Hawlader, Kazi Firoz Rashid, Syed Abu Hossain Babla, Mashiur Rahman Ranga, and Shafiqul Islam Sentu– have lost importance or posts over time, with some being expelled. Tensions over these senior figures continue to affect the party’s internal dynamics.