Everyone will stay secure under me: Ershad

Jatiya Party chairman HM Ershad said on Saturday the people now want him to take power after the rivalries between the two political parties who helped depose him.

"To the Awami League, the BNP is not safe and to the BNP, the Awami League is not safe. People want to live in peace and safety. I would like to say that everyone will remain secure under me."

Former dictator HM Ershad, who grabbed power illegally and was forced to resign after mass protests, said he never wanted to cling to power. He also said he does not know why he was called a despot, reports bdnews24.com.

"Many have called me an autocrat, but I have never found it to be so," the Jatiya Party chairman said at an event in city's Banani.

"What have I done that I can be considered an autocratic? I have never been autocratic."

Ershad came to power in a 1982 military coup, displacing the Abdus Sattar government that had followed the death of Ziaur Rahman. A court later declared the action illegal.

Ershad said he had had no desire to rule.

"I took over at the request of Justice Sattar, who was unable to run the country. I wanted to call for elections and return to the barracks. But nobody came to the polls and I was forced to form a party."

Ershad formed the Jatiya Party with leaders from various political parties.

Ershad, who is a special representative to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, says the Jatiya Party has finalised 300 candidates for the upcoming elections.