Dhaka: Slamming his own party for its failure to play an effective role of opposition in parliament, Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad on Tuesday said his party has turned into a ‘domestic opposition’.

‘In the perspective of Bangladesh, the opposition party usually comes to power after the change of government. But we’ve become a domestic opposition, not genuine one. We could have come to power, had we been a real opposition,’ he said.

Ershad, a former military dictator, came up with the remarks while speaking at a meeting of his party’s executive committee at his Banani office.

He claimed that the 1/11 political changeover took place as Jatiya Party did not join the national election under Iajuddin Ahem-led caretaker government.

The Jatiya Party chief also said there will be no change in the posts of party co-chairman and secretary general in the party’s upcoming council.

He, however, said he will not have any objection to making his wife and leader of the opposition in parliament Raushon Ershad party’s chairman if she is interested in it.

Mentioning that the next national election may be the last one in his life, Ershad urged his party men to get united and remain like a family.