Khokon, son of AL leader and former Dhaka city corporation mayor late Mohammad Hanif, made the move five days after joint forces picked him up at his Banani residence. He, however, was released later on.

He said Ferdous Ahmed Qureshi leads the formation work of the new political party.

Khokon while talking to The Daily Star over telephone said in order to save the country from the divisions made by two political parties, he has joined the new political party. He also apologised to AL supporters and activists for leaving the party.

He said, "To get rid of the traditional [political] system, I have joined the new political party. A divided nation can never work for prosperity."

Khokon ruled out that the present army-backed caretaker government had mounted pressure on him to join a new party. "It is absolutely not true, they [joint forces] took me to enquire about a case," Khokon said.

Asked why he left AL, he said, "I was not feeling good about the environment in Awami League. It was unbearable... let's try for a change, there is nothing bad in trying."

Khokon was an AL candidate in the stalled ninth parliamentary elections.

About the death of his father, Khokon said, "He died due to politically motivated mental repression."

"Everyone knows he [Hanif] died due to injuries of the August 21 grenade attack," Khokon said, adding that he knows his father died due to political repression.