The Jatiya Party does not want to sit on the opposition bench in parliament.

Its MPs, in a parliamentary party meeting yesterday, unanimously decided to be a part of the Awami League-led new government.

“Since we participated in the election under the banner of the Awami League-led grand alliance, we want to join the government. Who will sit on the opposition bench is not our concern," JP Co-chairman GM Quader told journalists after the meeting at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.

They sat for the meeting immediately after taking oath as members of the 11th parliament.

"We doubt if people will accept us as the opposition if we quit the grand alliance now to play the role of the opposition," Quader said, adding, "We don't want to sit on the opposition bench … This is a practical problem for us.”

During the election, the leaders and activists of the JP worked with AL men and they now want to work together with the ruling party for the country's development, he said.

"A delegation of the party [JP] will meet Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina to convey our decision to her. If she has any suggestions for us, we will discuss them in our party forum," Quader said.

At the meeting, he said, his party's lawmakers opined that they want to work with the leader of the grand alliance to take the country  forward.

The complication emerged due to the poor performance of the BNP-led alliance in the election, Quader said, adding, "We did not predict such a poor performance by the BNP.”

The way people voted indicated that they did not want to see the opposition in parliament, Quader claimed.

After the meeting, JP Secretary General Mashiur Rahman Ranga told reporters that people were happy with the government and they did not want a major opposition in parliament.

"We want to stay with the new government. However, grand alliance chief Sheikh Hasina will make the final decision in this regard. We will abide by her decision," Ranga said.

In the December 30 polls, the AL-led grand alliance secured 288 seats. JP, a key component of the alliance, bagged 22 seats. The BNP-led Jatiya Oikyafront managed to win only seven seats. Independent candidates won three.

Election in Gaibandha-3 was rescheduled for January 27 following the death of a candidate and re-polling will take place in three centres in Brahmanbaria-2 on January 9.

The Jatiya Oikyafront has announced that its MPs-elect will not take  oath as the alliance rejected the polls results alleging that the election was rigged by the ruling party.

Against this backdrop, it was assumed that the JP may sit on the opposition bench, like in the current parliament.

The JP became the main opposition in the current parliament formed after the 2014 election, which the BNP-led alliance had boycotted. The JP won 34 seats and its senior leader Raushan Ershad was recognised as the leader of the opposition with the status of a minister. Three JP MPs were also made ministers.

Their dual role has been criticised. The party could not play its due role as the main opposition in parliament in the last five years.

Meanwhile, JP Chairman HM Ershad could not take his oath as MP yesterday due to his illness, said GM Quader, Ershad's younger brother.

He was then scheduled to take the oath separately at 3:00pm yesterday. But later, he informed Quader that he was feeling ill and would not be able to do so.

Jatiya Oikyafront’s candidate for Bogura-2 constituency Mahmudur Rahman Manna today alleged that the present atmosphere in the country is not congenial for a free and fair general election.

Manna, also the convener of Nagorik Oikya, a component of Jatiya Oikyafront, came up with the remark this afternoon after handing over a letter to Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda at his commission office, complaining over the ongoing spree of arrest and filing of cases against the opposition leaders and activists in his constituency and across the country.

Many opposition leaders and activists, including some candidates in the upcoming December 30 polls, have been arrested so far by the law enforcers across the country, Manna said.

This is not a congenial atmosphere for holding a free and fair election considering the way the opposition men are being intimidated through arrests and filing of arbitrary cases, he said.

The international community including the United Nations is worried about the ongoing political situation in the country and the credibility of the December 30 election, Manna also said.

“If the election is held amid such scenario, it will be a lopsided one, which is tantamount to snatching the ballots and polls result,” he also said, adding that the countrymen will never accept this and the responsibility will have to be taken by the ruling quarter.

Referring to the Election Commission, Manna said the EC seems to have turned a deaf ear to the voices of the opposition.

“The commission has been informed all about how the opposition leaders and activists are being oppressed and intimidated across the country, but it has so far done nothing to resolve the crisis,” he said.  

Ruling Awami League today alleged that the BNP-Jamaat-Oikyafront clique is not only spreading false allegation and propaganda to make the election controversial, but also distributing illegal money and trying to destroy the congenial election environment.

AL joint secretary general Jahangir Kabir Nanak made the allegations while briefing media at the party President Sheikh Hasina’s Dhanmondi office.

Mentioning the arrest of three people in the city on Tuesday for allegedly distributing money among voters to influence the national election, the AL leader said, "Rab men arrested them, including a businessman and a former employee of Hawa Bhaban with Tk 8 crore in cash and cheques of Tk 10 crore, a poster of BNP-nominated candidate with Tarique Rahman’s photograph and a full voter list of a constituency."

"The primary investigation says this huge money was distributed to disrupt and influence the upcoming national election alongside creating a law-and-order situation through violence," he added.

Nanak also alleged that as many as Tk 150 crore was distributed across the country in the last two months.

“Tk 200 crore was brought from Dubai through Hundi and banking channels by (BNP acting chairman) Tarique Rahman.”

The AL leader said the incident hinted a big conspiracy against the country, the upcoming election, and involvement of Pakistani intelligence ISI.

Pointing at Dr Kamal's Tuesday’s conversation in a meeting with the Election Commissioners, Nanak said the nation does not expect such “arrogant attitude” from any democratic party.

"We want to say clearly that every party will have to behave in a democratic and legal way to hold a fair and participatory election.”

He claimed that the BNP-Oikyafront alliance is always trying to blame the Awami league for the violence caused by their intraparty conflicts.

Congratulatory messages have been pouring in for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her party Awami League.

The Communist Party of China (CPC), the Developing Eight Organisation for Economic Cooperation (D-8) and the prime minister of Sudan in separate messages have congratulated Hasina and her party for the win in the December 30 parliamentary polls.

“Delighted upon hearing the victory of the Awami League [AL] in the 11th parliamentary elections of Bangladesh, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China [CPC] wishes to extend to the AL our heartfelt congratulations,” said a CPC message on Friday.

It said the long-standing friendly relations between the two parties have played the role of political guidance in the development of Bangladesh-China strategic cooperative partnership.

“On the threshold of new and important opportunities for the development of China-Bangladesh relations, the CPC stands ready to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the AL in our concerted effort to build a new type of party-to-party relations that seeks to expand common ground while reserving differences, and enhances mutual respect and mutual learning and to promote the steady progress of China-Bangladesh relations at an even higher level,” the CPC said.

Meanwhile, Sudanese Prime Minister Mutaz Musa Abdalla in another message on Friday said, “On my behalf and the People and the Government of the Republic of the Sudan, it gives great honour to extend our heartfelt congratulations and best wishes for Your Excellency's re-election as the prime minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh.”

In a message issued on Thursday, D-8 Secretary-General Ku Jaafar Ku Shaari felicitated Hasina and the people of Bangladesh on the AL's re-election.

“We, in D-8 Secretariat, share the same spirit with and join the people of Bangladesh in celebrating the outcome of this election. This decisive victory is a reflection of the people's aspirations for a prosperous Bangladesh and a stronger position and more assertive role in international affairs,” said the statement.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Indian National Congress Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani,  King Salman of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, King of Bhutan Jigme Singye Wangchuck, Bhutan's Prime Minister Lotay Tshering, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, West Bengal and Tripura chief ministers Mamata Banerjee and Biplab Kumar Deb also congratulated Hasina and her party.

Hasina led the AL to a thumping victory in the December 30 polls, in which the ruling party-led Grand Alliance secured 288 out of the 300 seats.