BNP wants 'congenial atmosphere' in JS

BNP standing committee member Barrister Moudud Ahmed yesterday hinted that the opposition might return to parliament as part of their movement strategy.
“The government has made parliament dysfunctional. We are actively considering on going back to parliament. The issue is being discussed at the party level,” he said.
Addressing a discussion organised by Sangskritik Ganotrantik Jote in the capital's Jatiya Press Club, he, however, said the government must ensure a congenial atmosphere so that the opposition could return to the House.
The discussion was on restoration of the caretaker government system.
The 15th session of the 9th parliament began on Wednesday amid boycott by the opposition BNP and its allies, including Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.
The opposition have stayed away since walking out of parliament on March 29, the last sitting of the parliament's 12th session, after joining on March 18, ending a third round of boycott.
Through their March 18 return, the opposition deputies avoided losing their memberships in parliament on grounds of remaining absent for 90 consecutive sittings.
Under Article 67 (1) (b) of the constitution, a member of parliament shall vacate his seat if he is absent from parliament, without leave of parliament, for 90 consecutive sittings.
Moudud said the government was pushing the country towards a “civil war” by creating crisis and anarchy in a planned way.
“We want to tell Awami League that you will not benefit by doing this. The Awami League will be badly affected and vanished politically if another 1/11 is created.
“We will force the government to meet our demand within three months with strong action programmes. The programmes will gradually be harsher,” he said.
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia will come up with fresh programmes at the BNP-led 18-party's November 28 grand rally in the capital, he added.
The opposition lawmakers opted for boycotting the House in phases. First, they started to keep away from House proceedings in June 2009 and continued the boycott till February 2010. They returned to parliament on February 10, 2010.
A fresh boycott began in June 2010 and it did not end until March 16, 2011. They then stormed out of parliament on March 24 and returned to the House on March 18 this year.