Staff correspondent
The lawmakers of the BNP-led main opposition in the ninth parliament in the opening session on Sunday staged a walkout before the speech of the president, Iajuddin Ahmed, accusing him of breaching his oath of office.
‘The president breached his oath of office by not arranging elections within 90 days of the assumption of office of the caretaker government. He kept the country under undemocratic rule for two years. So we cannot hear him,’ senior BNP lawmaker Salauddin Quader Chowdhury told reporters after the walkout.
He said, ‘The president assumed office of the interim caretaker government, according to Article 58 of the constitution. And according to Article 123, it was his responsibility to hold the parliamentary elections within 90 days from the last day of the eighth parliament. But he did not discharge the responsibility, which is a violation of oath.’
The main opposition having 31 parliament members, led by former prime minister Khaleda Zia, attended in the first sitting of the ninth parliament from the beginning.
In a good gesture, they voted for archrival Awami League leader Abdul Hamid to the post of speaker.
But they refrained from participating in the election to the post of the deputy speaker in protest at the ‘the latest stance of the Awami League, which promised to elect deputy speaker from the opposition.’
When the parliament resumed just after the maghrib prayer break, the speaker announced the president would address the house.
Shortly before the president had arrived in house, Salauddin stood up and tried to draw the speaker’s attention. But the chair did not allow him to speak.
At this point, the leader of the opposition, Khaleda Zia, also stood up and led the BNP lawmakers out of the house. Two lawmakers of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and the only lawmaker of the Bangladesh Jatiya Party also followed her.
The speaker asked the opposition, ‘Why are you leaving? Your president is going to address [the parliament]. And you are leaving the house!’ But they did not heed his word.
This was the third time the main opposition staged a walkout in the opening sitting of a parliament. The Awami League walked out of the first sitting of the fifth parliament on April 5, 1991. The BNP staged a walkout in the first sitting of the seventh parliament on July 14, 1996.
Before joining the house, the BNP parliamentary party held a meeting and decided to wear black ribbons in protest at the introduction of the one-party Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League rule by the then Awami League on January 25, 1975.
The meeting also decided to stage a walkout from the parliament accusing the president of breaching his oath of office.
The meeting, held with Khaleda Zia in the chair, elected Jainal Abedin Faruk the opposition chief whip in the parliament.
Asked if the BNPPP has selected a person for the post of the deputy speaker, BNP vice-chairman MK Anwar, also a lawmaker, said the ruling Awami League had not given them (the BNP) any offer for the post of the deputy speaker of the parliament.
Iajuddin was elected president by the BNP-led eighth parliament on September 6, 2002.
He assumed office of the chief adviser to the caretaker government at night on October 29, 2006 in addition to his responsibilities as the president of the republic.
He resigned from the post of the chief adviser at night on January 11, 2007, declaring a state of emergency, suspending political and fundamental rights for an indefinite period amid growing political crisis over elections.
Courtesy: newagebd.com
