BNP MPs join JS

Five Bangladesh Nationalist Party lawmakers joined parliament on Monday and demanded immediate release of jailed party chairperson Khaleda Zia.
Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, also a lawmaker-elect from Bogura 6 who is yet to take oath, said that acting BNP chairman Tarique Rahman decided for the party’s joining parliament as part of movement for having Khaleda released and democracy restored.
Fakhrul made the announcement at a briefing at Khaleda’s Gulshan office about two hours after four BNP lawmakers had taken oath.
The party has decided to join parliament as a part of the movement for proper treatment and release of Khaleda Zia and the restoration of democracy at this critical juncture of the national politics, he read out a written statement on behalf of Tarique.
He, however, did not make it clear whether he would take oath as a lawmaker. ‘Everything would be clear on time,’ he replied to a query.
Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury administered the oath to Md Aminul Islam of Chapainawabganj 2, Ukil Abdus Sattar Bhuiyan of Brahmanbaria 2, Md Mosharraf Hossain of Bogura 4 and Md Harunur Rashid of Chapainawabganj 3 at her office in the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban in the afternoon.
Chief whip Noor-E-Alam Chowdhury, ruling Awami League whip Iqbalur Rahim and BNP lawmaker Md Zahidur Rahman, who was expelled by the party on April 27 for taking oath on April 25, were present at the swearing-in. 
Few minutes before the swearing-in, BNP senior joint secretary Ruhul Kabir Rizvi at a briefing at the party’s Nayapaltan central office alleged that the party became victim of government pressure and propaganda.
The five BNP lawmakers joined the parliament session after placing wreath at the grave side of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman.
Just after joining the session, Harunur Rashid demanded on the floor that Khalkeda be released on bail.
‘Please release our leader Khaleda Zia. Ask the attorney general and other officials concerned to take necessary steps for the bail of the former prime minister,’ he said.
‘We have gone through a tremendous struggle in the past three months to convince our party to allow us to join the parliament,’ he said, demanding bail for Khaleda so that they tell the party and the people that Khaleda was released because of their joining parliament.
There was no problem to continue the trial of Khaleda Zia even after her release on bail, said the BNP lawmaker. ‘Please don’t deprive her of the right to bail,’ he said.
He urged the prime minister to take necessary steps to ensure the voting right of the people as ‘the people now have no right to exercise their voting right even in a local government elections.’
Even labour union elections are now controlled by the government, he added.
After taking oath, Harunur told reporters that they took oath as per a party decision and instruction from Tarique.
He said that the current parliament was not representing the people and there was controversy about the December 30, 2018 election and they came to parliament not to legitimise the government but to speak for the people and against the misrule of the government.
On Zahidur’s expulsion, he said that Fakhrul apologised to Tarique saying that he made a mistake and he should have waited for the acting chairman’s decision.
Fakhrul at the briefing on behalf of Tarique in the evening said that the acting party chairman talked to the party standing committee members on Sunday and party leaders of different tiers and politically conscious people before making the decision.
He said that the standing committee empowered Tarique to decide about joining the parliament and, as per the party constitution, he informed his decision.
Fakhrul said that the December 30 election was a chapter of shameful mockery in the history of Bangladesh elections in which the voters were deprived of their voting rights.
The government had taken the result in their favour at the night before the polling day with unprecedented violence, administration’s interference and biasness of the Election Commission, he said.
He said that BNP thought it logical to speak in parliament and movement in the streets simultaneously to restore democracy and rights to vote.
Fakhrul also demanded a new national election under a party-neutral government and to release all the party leaders and activists now in jail.
He replied in the negative to a question whether the party took the decision on pressure from any quarters.
Asked whether there was pressure on them, he said that they were in great pressure as they were not allowed to speak and there was no democracy in the country while BNP chairperson was in jail. ‘Aren’t these pressures of the government?’
Asked whether they changed the decision following any understanding with the government, he said they wanted to struggle inside and outside the parliament as there was still some space to speak in parliament.
Asked whether Zahidur’s expulsion would be withdrawn, he said that the party would make a decision on time.
Fakhrul alone made the briefing.
Earlier on Sunday evening, BNP standing committee sat in a meeting with party lawmakers-elect and asked them not to join the parliament, party leaders said.
A total of eight candidates of Jatiya Oikya Front, six from BNP and two from Gono Forum, won the December 30 national 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.
Gono Forum presidium member Mokabbir Khan took oath on April 2 and Sultan Mohammad Monsur Ahmed took oath on March 7.
After taking oath Gono Forum expelled Sultan and decided to issue show cause notice to Mokabbir for violating the party decision.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net