After months of power struggle, Ershad’s ‘heart filled with joy’ with wife Raushon at his side

When HM Ershad made his brother GM Quader Co-Chairman of Jatiya Party, he faced the fury of wife Raushon Ershad who urged the deposed dictator to be ‘democratic’.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 1 May 2016, 06:01 PM
Updated : 1 May 2016, 06:32 PM

But the chairman’s announcement to make the former First Lady senior co-chairman three days ago indicated that relations between the couple who had been in a battle for power may be thawing.
 
The Jatiya Party chief was “thrilled” when Raushon joined him in the party’s May Day programme at its Kakrail office on Sunday.
 
Ershad, who takes pride in being a poet, described the day as ‘historic’, ‘a day of black clouds blowing away’ and ‘the start of a new journey’.
 

Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad and his wife Senior Co-chairman Raushon Ershad speak at the party’s May Day programme at its office in Kakrail on Sunday after a power struggle between them became public.

Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad and his wife Senior Co-chairman Raushon Ershad speak at the party’s May Day programme at its office in Kakrail on Sunday after a power struggle between them became public.

Tensions between Raushon and Ershad had erupted into a full-blown public battle over the decision to take part in the 10th parliamentary election, even though both of them claimed there was no ‘difference’ between them.
Both of them were taking decisions for the party without the other’s consent after Ershad became the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy and Raushon the Leader of the Opposition.
Raushon’s supporters reacted sharply when Ershad named brother Quader co-chairman and his successor in the party on Jan 17 amidst the power struggle.
She also launched a campaign against Ershad when he announced the party’s central council scheduled for May 14. 

Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad and his wife Senior Co-chairman Raushon Ershad speak at the party’s May Day programme at its office in Kakrail on Sunday after a power struggle between them became public.

Jatiya Party Senior Co-chairman Raushon Ershad adusts the microphone stand for her husband Chairman HM Ershad at the party’s May Day programme at its office in Kakrail on Sunday. Photo: asaduzzaman pramanik

She convened a news conference and urged Ershad to ‘follow the party’s constitution’ on Apr 24 the former president asked her to ‘be patient’.
On Apr 27, Ershad called for a truce by naming her senior co-chairman. 
Raushon appreciated the move and now she has joined Ershad and Quader in the party’s May Day programme.

She sat between the brothers at the event.

In her speech delivered before Ershad’s, she spoke about the historic background and significance of May Day.

By the time she concluded, she asked Jatiya Party workers, “I have been made the party’s senior co-chairman. Do you support it? I won’t be in the post if you don’t want me to.”

The supporters replied with applause and slogans in her support, seeing Ershad and Raushon on the same stage for the first time after Jan 1.

Ershad started his speech by thanking Raushon for joining the programme.

“Today is a historic day. The sun has risen. The dark clouds have cleared out,” he said.

“My heart is full to the brim with joy today. I am lost for word to express this joy,” added an exuberant Ershad.

“My wife has said many things (on May Day). I don’t want to say much. I am very happy for her to come here.

“We will work for Jatiya Party together from today. We are united and united we shall be.

“Our new journey begins today,” he added.

But Ershad did not see anything ‘good’ with state of affairs in Bangladesh.

“Is it possible for the government to keep police in every house?” the prime minister’s special envoy asked.

“The deterioration of law and order is a national crisis. We all will have to step forward to tackle this crisis.

“The responsibility is ours too, not of the government alone,” he added.

He called for dialogue between all political parties to overcome the ‘crisis’.