Opposition yet to decide on joining JS session
The opposition parties, who have vowed to stay off parliament during President's new year address and house business advisory committee meeting on Monday, are still undecided when they would join the winter session.
The main opposition BNP, which had planned to hold its Parliamentary Party meeting on Sunday, has put it on hold until Tuesday's hartal, party sources said.
The day-long, countrywide hartal has been called by the party and its three other allies to protest municipal polls before its four-point demands are met. Tuesday is the day for filing of nominations for the elections slated for February 23-25.
Other opposition partners-- the Jatiya Party and Jamaat -- have not yet set a date for holding their respective parliamentary meetings, leaving question marks about their MPs' joining the parliament session.
When contacted, BNP, JP and Jamaat leaders gave identical statements on the issue of joining. They said they would wait and watch the government response towards the opposition programmes and then take a decision.
They said opposition MPs would be present in the parliament building but would refrain from joining the first day's session on Monday. They said their attendance would depend on government's attitude towards the opposition demands.
Meanwhile, the "Liaison Committee" of the BNP, JP, Jamaat and IOJ will sit at 4 pm today to discuss the preparations for Tuesday's hartal and their future course of action ahead of the municipal polls.
A liaison committee leader said the next course of action would be announced after the hartal on Tuesday. It will also discuss formation of liaison committees at division, district and thana levels.
The leader said that the opposition parties would ultimately form an All-Party Action Committee to gear up their anti-government agitation.
Earlier, a meeting of the BNP-led 7-party alliance yesterday at 29 Minto Road with Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan in the chair took stock of the preparation for Tuesday's hartal.
Comments