Khaleda asks lawmakers to attend JS regularly
Staff correspondent
Thirty-one lawmakers of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its allies, the main opposition in Jatiya Sangsad, took oath as members of parliament on Thursday.
The outgoing speaker, Muhammad Jamiruddin Sircar, first administered oath to 28 lawmakers-elect of the BNP and one of the Bangladesh Jatiya Party at the oath hall of the national assembly complex. He separately administered oath to two lawmakers-elect of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.
Before taking oath, the BNP chairperson, Khaleda Zia, who won three seats in the December 29 elections, decided to represent the Feni 1 constituency. She vacated two of her electoral constituencies — Bogra 6 and 7.
After the swearing-in ceremony, the BNP parliamentary party held a meeting and elected Khaleda Zia as leader of the parliamentary group. She is expected to be the leader of the opposition in the parliament for the second time after 1996–2001.
They vested Khaleda with the power to select persons for the posts of deputy leader of the group and the opposition chief whip and whips. At the meeting, she asked the party lawmakers to regularly remain present in the house and play a constructive role.
‘You must play a constructive role in the parliament as the country is passing through a critical time,’ Khaleda said as she addressed her party lawmakers. ‘You must regularly remain present in the house’.
‘We are small in number. But you can make a strong role by attending the sessions and regularly participate in other parliamentary businesses, including the meetings of the parliamentary committees,’ Khaleda, also the immediate-past prime minister, told the party lawmakers.
She also asked the lawmakers to protest against irregularities and repression, if there are any, by the ruling party and the government.
After taking oath, the lawmakers completed the formalities. Khaleda made a courtesy call on the speaker in his office.
Jamiruddin expressed his annoyance about journalists as Bangladesh Television did not air live the swearing-in ceremony on Thursday.
‘BTV did not telecast live the swearing-in ceremony although its camera crew with equipment were present at the Jatiya Sangsad complex,’ Jamiruddin Sircar told New Age. ‘It telecast live the swearing-in ceremonies of the lawmakers-elect of the Awami League and other parties on January 3 and 4.’
The speaker said he personally contacted the information secretary, Jamil Osman. ‘What can I do as you know that I am in service?’ he quoted the secretary as telling him regarding the matter.
‘I tried to contact the prime minister [Sheikh Hasina]. But her private secretary claimed that she was in a meeting at the Cabinet Division,’ he said. ‘I believe she would have asked BTV to telecast the ceremony if I had reached her.’
The BNP and its allies won 32 out of the 299 seats in the December 29 parliamentary polls, including three seats contested and won by Khaleda. The BNP’s AKM Mahbubuddin Khokon was elected in the deferred polls for the Noakhali 1 constituency on January 12.
The process for the establishment of the 300-member parliament was completed on Thursday with the swearing-in of the lawmakers-elect of the BNP and its allies. The speaker earlier administered oath to the lawmakers of the Awami League-led ruling alliance on January 3 and 4.
The president, Iajuddin Ahmed, has summoned the first session of the parliament on January 25.
On the first sitting of Jatiya Sangsad, the lawmakers will elect a new speaker and a deputy speaker in keeping with the constitution. The BNP may select one of its lawmakers as the next deputy speaker as the majority party Awami League has decided to offer the post to the opposition.
Courtesy: newagebd.com
