BNP\\\'s plot won\\\'t work as people ditched the party: Ershad

Jatiya Party Chairman Hussein Muhammed Ershad has said that ‘conspiracy being hatched by BNP’ will not work as people have dumped the party. In an oblique reference to a reported meeting between some government officials and the BNP high-ups, Ershad said the party (BNP) is now conspiring and holding meetings at the chairperson’s office. ‘Making plots won’t help as people have ditched you,’ Ershad said while addressing a discussion arranged by the JP in front of its Kakrail office marking ‘Constitution Protection Day’ on Dec 6. Ershad, a former dictator, said many people say many things about December 6 and some people call it ‘Fall of Autocrat Day’. ‘We call it Constitution Protection Day’ as I resigned on that day as per the constitution to safeguard it. So, this day will ever be observed as Constitution Protection Day.’ He also claimed that he was not an autocrat. ‘My government in 1990 was not illegal… it was a constitutional one. There’s a Supreme Court verdict on it.’ The JP chief branded former President and Justice (retd) Shahabuddin Ahmed as a traitor. ‘He had taken over the charge of President being the Chief Justice of the country. A person can’t hold two constitutional posts at a time. He must face trial for it one day.’ He also claimed that the political parties introduced parliamentary forms of government amending the constitution only because of fear that he would again return to power if the presidential form was in place, according to a news agency.