BNP’s Rumeen Farhana takes oath, demands reelection

BNP's reserved seat MP-elect Barrister Rumeen Farhana took oath as a member of the 11th Parliament today.

Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury administered the swearing-in at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.

Parliament Secretariat's Senior Secretary Dr Zafar Ahmed Khan conducted the oath-taking ceremony.

Fifty seats, reserved for women, are distributed among political parties in proportion to their number of MPs in Parliament.

BNP, which has five MPs in the House, got one reserved seat and picked Rumeen, its assistant international affairs secretary and daughter of Language Movement hero Oli Ahad.

She filed her nomination on May 20 and the Election Commission declared her elected from the reserved seat on May 28.

In an impromptu reaction, Rumeen Farhana said that it is a dream for any politician going to the parliament and speaking for the countrymen. Hence, it is like fulfilling that dream.

“I am happy as well as saddened,” she said.

“I am embarrassed because the parliament I am representing was not elected by people’s mandate. This parliament has no connection with the people of Bangladesh,” she claimed.

She demanded that the parliament should be immediately dissolved reiterating her party’s call for a reelection which will be free, fair and participatory.