Ershad now asks BNP to follow suit

Jatiya Party has finally quit the Awami League-led grand alliance and joined the “all-party” polls-time government yesterday.
Making a U-turn on his previous decision, JP Chairman HM Ershad also announced that his party will contest the next general election.
“I want to declare at this moment that we are no more with the grand alliance. We are participating in the all-party polls-time government,” he told a press conference at his Banani office.
The former military ruler urged the main opposition BNP to join the election-time government and contest the election.
Though Ershad on several previous occasions had advocated forming a caretaker government to oversee polls, yesterday he claimed that he never supported the concept of caretaker government.
On October 20, he rejected the idea of an all-party election-time government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
“We have said it earlier and are repeating that we won't participate in the election if Sheikh Hasina heads the interim government. The election wouldn't be free and fair in that situation,” he mentioned.
On that day, Ershad also declared that his party would not contest the polls if BNP boycotted it.
Even a couple of days ago, he promised to his party leaders and activists that he does not want to die as a traitor by participating in an election, not contested by all parties.
But yesterday, his stance was quite the opposite. “The prime minister has already moved one step forward to resolve the ongoing crisis. We have also moved one step forward. You [BNP] should also come forward and participate in the all-party government. Make it public if you have any proposal to this end.”
“If we notice that the government is not sincere [in holding a free and fair election] and trying to rig the election, we will boycott the polls,” added Ershad.
He claimed that he took the decision of joining the “all-party” government “for the sake of the country and its people.”
The JP had joined the AL-led 14-party alliance before the 2008 parliamentary polls. Since 2011, its chairman had been saying that he would pull out of the grand alliance.
The BNP has been pressing for a non-party polls-time government since parliament abolished the caretaker government system in June, 2011.