Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, senior joint secretary general of the BNP, has said the 12th parliament, elected through what he claims was a “dummy election,” is not the people’s parliament.
The BNP leader made the comment at a press conference at the BNP's central office in Naya Paltan in Dhaka on Tuesday.
The maiden session of the 12th parliament went underway at 3pm.
In the press conference earlier in the day, Rizvi said: “All members of this parliament are from the same party. From who will be the opposition party in this parliament, what will they say and do to what will be the role of the independent MPs, everything is already arranged.”
He claimed that the Awami League had held on to power by depriving 120 million people of their voting rights.
“Public support is the main basis for the survival of a political party. The Awami League's base has collapsed. Obaidul Quader and Hasan Mahmud's words hold no value,” Rizvi added.
“The Awami League alone has 223 seats in this parliament. Fifty-eight out of 62 independent members are Awami League leaders. Meanwhile, the Jatiya Party is the opposition party with the blessings of Sheikh Hasina. She kindly gave 11 seats to JaPa.”
All lawmakers, in some way or the other, belonged to the Awami League, he added.