Dhaka: Amid the party’s growing internal strife over his some recent decisions, Jatiya Party chairman HM Ershad on Sunday sat in a meeting with the party’s presidium at his Banani office.

But senior presidium member and leader of the opposition Raushan Ershad and other leaders loyal to her, including Anisul Islam Mahmud, Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu and Mujibul Haque Chunnu, boycotted the meeting that began at about 11:45am.

The party sources said 23 out of 37 ‘active presidium members’ joined the meeting.

Jatiya Party’s newly appointed secretary general ABM Ruhul Amin Hawlader said they would mainly discuss the party’s next council and other organisational issues.

Another presidium member wising anonymity said their chairman’s recent moves, including making GM Quader party’s co-chairman, removing Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu as secretary general and his replacement with Howlader would elaborately be discussed in the meeting.

He said their chairman would seek the opinions of the presidium members if Jatiya Party should stay in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The party’s dispute over leadership surfaced after Ershad in Rangpur on 17 January announced to make his younger brother GM Quader as the party’s co-chairman.

A day later, then party secretary general Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu and some leaders loyal to Raushan announced her as the acting chairman of the party.

Later on 19 January, Ershad at a press conference replaced Bablu with Hawlader as secretary general, intensifying the dispute over party leadership.