Sagar Biswas :
Leader of the opposition in parliament Rawshan Ershad did not get appointment of Chinese President Xi Jinping during his Dhaka visit despite repeated attempts, which local political circle has termed as ‘degradation’ of the Jatiya Party in the politics.
It’s the second time when foreign dignitaries apparently avoided Rawshan Ershad, who is also senior co-chairperson of the JP and wife of party chairman and former military-ruler Hussain Muhammad Ershad.
Earlier, US Secretary of State John Kerry during his Dhaka visit on August 29 did not ‘formally’ meet any JP leaders, including Rawshan Ershad.
President Abdul Hamid on Friday night threw a gala dinner party in honour of the visiting Chinese President where HM Ershad, Rawshan Ershad and other parliament members got invitation, but significantly the opposition leader skipped the event.
When contacted, JP Secretary General Ruhul Amin Howlader told The New Nation on Saturday night: “It could be appreciated and welcomed by people, if Chinese President had met the JP… However, we’re not frustrated. We think it’s an accident. We’re also optimistic that the relation between China and JP will be stronger in the future.”
It is to be noted that the then Chinese President Li Xiannian visited Bangladesh in March 1986 during the tenure of HM Ershad when the country had extended its cooperation in developing some infrastructures, including Buriganga Bridge.
Some senior JP leaders, however, have evaluated the matter as JP’s ‘importance losing’ in the national politics. They also categorically accused the international wing of the JP for the failure.
Even, Bangladesh Nationalist Party [BNP] leaders have pointed finger towards JP blaming the same. Several BNP leaders on Saturday said that JP leaders did not get appointment as Chinese President was ‘doubtful’ over the role of JP in the politics.
Sources close to the JP said that Chinese Embassy in Dhaka had started preparing the meeting schedules of Xi Jinping about six months ago. And from the very beginning, the JP high command tried to get some time to meet the Chinese leader, but they failed.
“It is natural that Chinese President and other representatives of Chinese government will sit in meetings with government officials and political party leaders. They [Chinese team] met other political party. But they did not meet JP Chairman or Leader of the Opposition in Parliament… It’s clearly an avoiding attitude,” JP Co-chairman and former minister GM Quader said.
Referring the issue, he further said: “It means the JP is losing importance. If a party loses weight to foreign countries, it would not get importance in the home ground also.”
The Chinese President Xi Jinping met Speaker of the Parliament Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia at Hotel Le Meridien in Dhaka separately.
