Pulse taking before agitation

BNP's reported move to assess public sentiments on different crucial issues before launching an agitation programme sounds positive in that the party is trying to be in steps with public opinion.
Senior and mid level leaders of the party will be given special assignments to speak to the people at union levels to assess public sentiments on various issues including prices of essentials and power shortage. Hopefully they will also try to assess public feelings on the role they have so far played as the opposition.
Going to the people at grassroots and gauging their mood is what democracy is all about. But this is what we don't practise. We lend our ears to what we like to hear. We hope this will be a successful interactive contact.
As it is, BNP should give a serious thought to its performance and positioning on various issues as well. The party needs a thorough soul-searching to give a better account of itself as a political party with longstanding political legacy. Eliciting public opinion on governance will be incomplete without the opposition participation in parliament as the law-making and oversight institution.
Government failure in many areas is conspicuous. The prices of essential are out of control, stock market is in a shambles, law and order situation is far from satisfactory and political high-handedness of the AL leaders goes on unabated.
For the opposition's part, we watch with sadness, how they have kept themselves away from parliament for days together depriving their constituencies of legitimate representation in parliament. Attitudes of and remarks by the ruling party lawmakers inside the house may be the cause for disappointment on their part; they should still attend parliament which is but the people's house, especially in the backdrop of their morale-boosting showing at the local polls.
Reaching out to the public on the ground and also taking their issues to the parliament for the nation to hear would be the best and the most acceptable move by the BNP at this moment.