The four BNP MPs-elect took the oath in consultation with party’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman, party’s Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said today.

“Our policy making body and BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman have given nod to the MPs-elect to take the oath,” Fakhrul said.

Fakhrul was briefing media at the party Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan office in Dhaka this evening, hours after the four BNP lawmakers-elect took oath as members of the 11th parliament.

The four MPs -- Harunur Rashid from Chapainwabganj-3, Aminul Islam from Chapainwabganj-2, Ukil Abdus Sattar from Brahmanbaria-2 and Mosharraf Hossain from Bogura-4 parliamentary constituencies – took oath at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban around 5:45pm.

In the press conference, Fakhrul said his party wants to cash the limited scope of raising their voices in the parliament in a bid to restore the people’s voting rights and democracy in the country and continue the simultaneous movement for release of Khaleda Zia.

“In the context of complex crisis in the national politics, we decided to join the parliament as part of our movement pressing home our demand for the immediate release of party Chairperson Khaleda Zia, her proper treatment and restoration of democracy in the country,” he said.

“We also expect that we, along with the people, would be able to compel the government to hold a free and fair national election, ensure Khaleda Zia’s release and rebuild the country on the national consensus,” he added.

Since the December 30 national election, BNP has been demanding reelection under a nonparty administration ensuring people’s voting rights and this is only the path to get rid of the country prevailing crisis, he said.

“We will have to become vibrant in waging a strong movement on the street for reelection and release of all opposition party leaders including Khaleda Zia from jail,” he said.

He said, “The people will have to stand around afresh against the state patronised corruption, irregularities in share marker, looting spree in the banking sector, and the prevailing spate of repression and sexual harassment on women, abduction, enforced disappearance and killing.”

Claiming that BNP is a liberal democratic party and it believes in changing of power through vote, Fakhrul said the ruling party has destroyed the country’s electoral system through politicisation to prolong its stay in power.

The ruling quarter wants to projects the parliament as functional and legitimate before the world though it has smashed all paths of practising democracy in the country, the BNP leader alleged.

He said, “In the history of Bangladesh, the December 30 national was a stigmatised one and that has been branded as a mockery in the international community.”

“The result of the election was pre-determined and the countrymen were denied of the voting rights forcibly and thus we rejected the polls results and decided not to participate in the parliament,” he said.