Jatiya Party MPs write to speaker seeking Quader as opposition leader

Jatiya Party chairman GM Quader on Tuesday sent a letter to Jatiya Sangsad speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury for taking necessary steps for announcing him the leader of the opposition in parliament claiming that he got support of majority of the party lawmakers.

The party lawmaker Rana Mohammad Sohel told New Age that he along with four other MPs led by Kazi Firoz Rashid handed over the letter signed by Quader to the speaker’s office on Tuesday evening.

‘In the letter, GM Quader being the party chairman claimed that majority of the party lawmakers support him to be the leader of the opposition and also attached consent letters of the MPs with the letter,’ Sohel said adding he could not remember the total number of MPs who support Quader.

Sohel also claimed that the letter was sent as the opinion of Jatiya Party’s parliamentary party.

Party insiders said 15 out of 26 lawmakers gave consent.

Quader could not be contacted for comment. He, however, told the press on Tuesday noon at the party’s Banani office that the leader of the opposition would be selected before fourth session of the 11th parliament that would begin on August 8.

The move came on the day when the late party chairman HM Ershad-Rawshan Ershad’s son Rahgir Al Mahi Shad Ershad officially entered in politics buying nomination form for Rangpur 3 constituency by-polls.

A section of MPs, however, claimed that they were not aware of Quader’s sending letter to the speaker.

‘I don’t know what they did. But, such a letter means nothing. JP parliamentary party will select the leader of the opposition hopefully on August 7,’ said lawmaker Selim Osman, also a presidium member of the party.

Earlier on August 17, the party sent a release claiming that the presidium members approved that the leader of the opposition would be selected following the party charter that empowered its chairman to hold the position or to nominate someone else for it.

The deputy leader of the opposition and also JP co-chairperson Rawshan Ershad also expressed desire to hold the position following her husband’s death on July 14, JP leaders said.

News Curtesy: www.newagebd.net