BNP condemns diatribe against Khaleda in JS

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

Staff Correspondent

The parliamentary party of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Friday demanded withdrawal of what was discussed in the house on Wednesday under rule 68 and alleged that the discussion had violated the rule itself.

The opposition chief whip, Zainul Abdin Farroque, at a briefing in the Jatiya Sangsad media centre, demanded withdrawal of the speeches of the ruling Awami League lawmakers who had demanded that sedition charges be brought against the opposition leader Khaleda Zia.

‘The discussion under rule 68 initiated by Suranjit Sengupta was unprecedented

in the history of parliament. For the first time issues out of parliament have been discussed,’ he said.

The discussion was supposed to continue for an hour but it dragged on for three hours in violation of the rule itself and 15 lawmakers launched diatribes against the opposition leader, he said.

‘We condemn it and demand withdrawal of the speeches,’ he said.

Farroque termed the ninth parliament totally dysfunctional. ‘The parliament is now being run by proxy. Neither the questioner nor the respondent remains present in the session. How could the opposition return to the house in such a situation,’ he asked.

He alleged that the opposition was not allowed to speak on issues of the killing of Bangladeshi nationals on the border, subservient foreign policy and Indian move to construct a dam at Tipaimukh that would displace thousands of people downstream in Bangladesh.

Farroque alleged that the speaker did not accept the opposition’s notice for discussion on law and order and the price spiral but accept an ‘unusual’ notice.

He said the government was plotting to ‘sell out’ the country forcing the opposition to take to the streets. ‘But the ruling party is trying to mislead the people about the road marches,’ he said.

In response to a question, he said the opposition might return to the house if the treasury bench brought a bill to restore the caretaker government system.

He said the treasury bench has to table the bill and cited that Khaleda Zia had passed caretaker government bill after Sheikh Hasina went out on movement for caretaker government in 1996.  ‘That bill was tabled by the ruling party, not the opposition.’

Responding to a question, Farroque said the BNP was never against holding trial of war criminals rather it was the party which had repeatedly demanded trial of ‘real’ war criminals.

He said the BNP would hold trial of the killing of Siraj Sikder and 30 thousand political activists in 1972-1975, if it returned to power.

BNP lawmakers AM Mahbub Uddin Khokan, Asifa Ashrafi Papiya and Shammi Akhtar were present at the briefing.

Source: newagebd.com/newspaper1

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