"Jatiya Party does not have the financial ability to contest unilaterally in the next general elections and so we have to make electoral alliance with BNP or Awami League," he said at a meeting with Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers & Exporters Association (BKMEA) in Dhaka.

The ruling BNP's popularity has eroded due to price hike of essentials while the AL's grassroots level leaders' cooperation with the common people has helped to increase the party's popularity, the JP chairman said.

The AL's street level movement against the government's failure on several issues also got support from the common people, he said, adding that Jatiya Party is minutely observing whether the AL's present movement will be able to topple the four-party alliance government.

"We will have intensive consultation with the Jatiya Party workers and leaders at all levels to decide with which party we will have electoral alliance," he said.

The JP chairman said his recent meeting with Prime Minister Khaleda Zia was 'a courtesy call' where there was no point about electoral alliance.

Expressing solidarity with BKMEA on the recent unrest in the garment sector, Ershad said, "I heard a BNP-backed workers' leader was the main culprit behind the incident, which proves an involvement of the government."

He said the government should have come forward to prevent the incident as the garments and remittance are the main sources of foreign exchange for the country.

He urged the government to appoint some experts or commercial counsellors in the major importing countries of Bangladeshi products to increase export.

Among others, JP Presidium Member and former prime minister Kazi Jafar Ahmed, JP Secretary General ABM Ruhul Amin, Golam Sarwar Milon and BKMEA President Fazlul Haque were present at the meeting.