Bangabhaban bid to broker deal fails

A presidential attempt to forge a negotiation between the country's two conflicting political camps was nipped in the bud yesterday as opposition rejected his proposition.

An hour before the Jatiya Sangsad went into session at 4:05 pm yesterday, President Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed requested the BNP secretary general over telephone to join the parliament session and call off the 18-hour hartal beginning this morning, sources in the BNP said.

If the opposition agreed to the proposal, the President assured the BNP leader that he would use his good office so that the governing party deferred the already announced schedule for the municipal elections to a date acceptable to the opposition, the sources added.

When BNP secretary general Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan pointed out to the President that the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner was very important to the opposition, the President said that it was not possible 'right at the moment', according to the sources.

Bhuiyan, however, communicated the presidential proposal to BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, who eventually found the proposition to be unacceptable, a top ranking BNP leader told The Daily Star.

While talking with her party secretary general on the issue, Khaleda Zia also told him that the opposition did not have any room for compromise over the CEC's resignation.

Besides, she wanted to know whether the ruling party had contacted any BNP leader. On a negative reply from Bhuiyan, she told him that it was useless to consider the question of attending the inaugural session or calling off the countrywide hartal.

Later, Bhuiyan regretted the President's proposal, and then the President entered the House at 6:00 pm to deliver his address with most opposition benches empty.

Meanwhile, Telecommunication Minister Mohammad Nasim told The Daily Star that the ruling party had so far made no communication with the opposition for a dialogue. He was rather optimistic that the opposition would join the session when it resumes on January 31.

"I see no reason for the opposition to stay away from parliament. Besides, the opposition only said that it would boycott presidential speech - not the entire session."