BNP asks MPs-elect not to take oath

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party standing committee sat in a meeting with party lawmakers-elect at the jailed BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan office in Dhaka Sunday evening.
The highest policymaking body of the party held the meeting as several top BNP leaders, including secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamghir, also a lawmaker-elect, alleged that the BNP lawmakers-elect were under government pressure to join the parliament, party leaders said.
They said that the meeting urged the lawmakers-elect not to take oath as members of parliament as the deadline for the swearing-in would expire on Tuesday.
Lawmakers-elect Ukil Abdus Sattar of Brahmanbaria 2, Aminul Islam of Chapainawabganj 2 and Harunur Rashid of Chapainawabganj 3 attended the meeting, held three days after party lawmaker-elect Md Zahidur Rahman of Thakurgaon 3 took oath as member of parliament defying the party decision.
The party got six of the 300 parliamentary seats in the December 30, 2018 general election reportedly marred by violence, intimidation, ballot-stuffing and rigging, as alleged by the opposition parties and alliances.
Most of the party standing committee members attended the meeting.
Asked for comment about the meeting, Harunur Rashid said, ‘I have neither any comment nor any information.’ 
BNP standing committee at an emergency meeting on Saturday expelled Zahidur for violating the party decision not to take oath.
BNP’s election alliance Jatiya Oikya Front won eight seats — BNP six and Gono Forum two — in the parliamentary elections.
BNP and the front rejected the election results on allegation of violence, intimidation, ballot-stuffing and rigging and decided that their lawmakers-elect would not take oath.
Prior to Zahidur, the two Gono Forum lawmakers-elect Sultan Mohammad Monsur Ahmed and Mokabbir Khan took oath.

News Courtesy:www.newagebd.net