JS session begins today

Opposition may not join
The third session of Jatiya Sangsad (JS) begins today (Monday) amid a likely BNP boycott.
The BNP, which boycotted the House during the budget session which was the second session of the ninth Jatiya Sangsad (JS), continues its boycott alleging that the ruling party didn’t create a congenial atmosphere for the opposition lawmakers to take part in it.
A meeting of the Business Advisory Committee will be held at 10:00 am today (Monday) at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban to decide the tenure of the session. Sources indicated that the third session of the Jatiya Sangsad will be short-lived and may continue till September 17.
Talking to reporters, opposition chief whip Jainal Abdin Farrouque said there was no scope for the opposition to join the third session due to the “negative attitude” of the government towards BNP lawmakers.
“On the other hand, as our senior leader M Saifur Rahman died in a road accident on Saturday, the BNP has postponed all its activities for three days as a mark of respect to our late leader. Later, we will take decision whether we will join the session or not,” he said. 
The Awami League-led grand alliance has not taken any move to bring the opposition back to the House, Farrouque added.
Sources in the parliament secretariat said that the session of the Jatiya Sangsad, convened at 11 am, is likely to dispose of the day’s business before the Asr prayers.
“This will be a short session,” speaker Advocate Abdul Hamid told reporters at Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban yesterday.
The parliament secretariat has proposed that the session of nine working days until Sept 17. The duration of the session will be finalised at the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee, headed by the Speaker, this (Monday) morning.
“What initiative should we take to bring them (the opposition) back to the Jatiya Sangsad?” chief whip vice-principal Abdus Shahid asked when newsmen wanted to know if the treasury bench was making any effort to bring the BNP back to the House. 
He said the BNP should come to the Jatiya Sangsad first and then raise their demands.
“People have voted them to come to parliament. Their boycott is really unfortunate,” the chief whip of the JS said.
The BNP started staying off Jatiya Sangsad session from the second day of its first session on January 28 over seat allocation dispute with the ruling alliance. The ruling alliance reduced the BNP’s seats on the front row of the House to four from eight.
Outgoing speaker Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar, now a BNP lawmaker gave the main opposition eight seats without the consent of the Awami League in the first session of the ninth JS.
The BNP lawmaker returned to the House on February 23 as Speaker Advocate Abdul Hamid assured them of allocating ‘respectable’ number of seats on the front row in the second session.
The Speaker agreed to give the BNP one more seat in the front row while it demanded three.
The BNP stayed away from the second as well as the budget session over the dispute.
Sources in the Parliament secretariat said the government would table a new bill-Real Estate Development and Management Bill, 2009-in the upcoming session.
Eight more bills also await passage in the upcoming session.
The bills are: Artharin Adalat (Amendment) Bill-2009, Local Government (City Corporation) Bill-2009, Local Government (Pourasabha) Bill-2009, Pesticides (Amendment) Bill-2009, Jamuna Multipurpose Bridge Authority (Amendment) Bill-2009, Bangladesh Regulatory Commission (Amendment) Bill-2009, Insurance Regulatory Authority Bill-2009 and Insurance Bill-2009.
BSS adds: Sources said the third session, which has been called to fulfil the constitutional obligation, is likely to continue for seven to 10 days. After the prorogation of a session, according to the Constitution, the next session must be called within 60 days.

Courtesy of The Independent