Staff Reporter
Speaker of the House Adv Abdul Hamid yesterday said that he would correct the seating plan for the Members of the Parliament after consulting it with the treasury and Opposition leaders, as there is allegation of wrongdoing by former Speaker Jamiruddin Sircar.
The treasury bench is annoyed as the former Speaker overruled Chief Whip Abdus Shahid’s seating arrangement and made a new arrangement for the Opposition ahead of the maiden parliament session.
“The seating arrangement made by the outgoing Speaker was not right,” Hamid told journalists yesterday adding, “The new layout will be decided after consultation with both the ruling and opposition parties.”
Speaking to reporters after placing wreaths at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s portrait in Dhanmondi, Advocate Hamid also said that the government would table an amendment bill soon in parliament to elect a deputy speaker from the Opposition.
Expressing dissatisfaction over the former Speaker’s seating arrangement, Chief Whip Abdus Shahid said Jamiruddin Sircar had shown disrespect to the treasury bench and the leader of the House by acting unilaterally.
According to the former Speaker’s arrangement, BNP lawmakers have got the front 10 seats in the opposition bench. Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) chief Col (retd) Oli Ahmed has also been given a seat in the first row of opposition bench.
The 12 seats of the second row in the Opposition bench have also been given to the opposition members including Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP) chief Andaleev Rahman Partho.
The next third and fourth rows having five and four seats each also go to the opposition bench.
Two other seats have been kept vacant for the Opposition lawmakers if elected from the two vacant seats of BNP chief Begum Khaleda Zia.
BNP has 28 seats in parliament, its key ally Jamaat-e-Islami two and another ally BJP one.
About his unilateral seating arrangement Jamiruddin Sircar earlier said the new Speaker might change the seat planning if he wants.
Courtesy: nation.ittefaq.com
