PM urges speaker to be supportive of opposition

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday requested speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury to be supportive of the opposition as Jatiya Party co-chairman GM Quader sought the speaker’s support to make parliament effective.
They made the remarks while congratulating Shirin on her election as the speaker unopposed for the third consecutive term.
GM Quader hoped that the opposition would get more time to express their views in Parliament.
He said that the opposition should not be given less time in keeping with its number of lawmakers. 
Hasina said that as in the past she would listen to all criticism as ‘constructive criticism is very important to take democracy ahead.’
The Jatiya Party contested the polls as a partner of the ruling ‘grand alliance’ led by the Awami League and bagged 22 seats. The ruling AL took 258 seats.
As the Jatiya Oikya Front, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, was given only eight seats they decided not to go to parliament. 
Jatiya Party chairman and leader of the opposition in parliament HM Ershad was not present at Parliament’s inaugural sitting as he was in Singapore for treatment.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net