By IANS
Dhaka : Ousted by a rebellious wife, Bangladesh's former military strongman H M Ershad has quit Jatiyo Party, the country's third-largest outfit, but insists on calling it "political reform."
In control since he founded it in 1986, Ershad passed on the baton to his one-time foreign minister, Anisul Islam Mahmud.
His wife Rawshan had ousted him earlier this week, declaring herself the 'acting chief', a move that Ershad had termed illegal.
The media Sunday did not record her reaction, if any.
A former military strongman who ran the country for about nine years, Ershad also declared that he would not contest the apex post in the next council.
The announcement on Saturday "has the potential to mark a watershed in the country's politics, meaning an end to his eventful years at the helm of the JP," The Daily Star said Sunday.
Ousted from the presidency in 1990, Ershad remained a parliamentarian and political force till last year. He spent five years in jail on conviction of corruption charges levelled by subsequent governments.
He entered into a deal last year with the then prime minister Khaleda Zia under which he would have joined her as an alliance partner. As part of the deal, she was to propose him as the president this year. However, he backed out when she became unpopular, and joined rival Sheikh Hasina.
"Lately, the political trends have changed and my initiative is the acknowledgement of the new current of thoughts," he observed.
He called his move part of the political reforms, saying that the leadership of Zia and Hasina have also been challenged of late.
Political observers believe that the pro-reform groups in the rival Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the Awami League might get long mileage out of the latest developments.