‘BNP is the real opposition at JS’

BNP lawmaker Harunur Rashid today claimed that their party is the real opposition in the parliament as the BNP MPs do not take part in the discussions in a bid to save themselves.

The lawmaker from Chapainawabganj-3 constituency said this while taking part in a discussion on the supplementary budget for Fiscal year 2018-19 at the parliament.

He also said that the Jatiya Party, the opposition in the parliament, is a partner of the ruling Grand Alliance.

“We are the real opposition in the parliament as we don’t talk to save ourselves,” Harun said.

“You can arrange the opposition from partners of ruling Grand Alliance. But we are the real opposition,” he said drawing attention of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who was present at the House.

The Jatiya Party, the AL’s main partner in the Grand Alliance, is currently on the opposition bench. They have 22 directly elected and four reserved women MPs in the 11th Jatiya Sangsad.

BNP has only five directly elected and one reserved women MPs.

Four BNP lawmakers-elect in the December 30 national election took oath as members of the 11th parliament in April, around four months after the election.

They took the oath just four days after another BNP-lawmaker elect, Zahidur Rahman, took oath as MP in a surprise move on April 25 against the party’s decision of not joining parliament.

BNP took part in the December 30 national election and secured victory in only six seats out of 300 parliamentary constituencies.

The party’s Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, who won in the election, did not took oath.