BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said his decision to not take oath as an MP was part of his party's political strategy, and the decision came from the party.
"I did not take my oath because of the party's political strategic reasons," he said while replying to reporters' queries at an event titled "Nusrat Ekti Protibader Nam (Nusrat is the Name of a Protest)", at the National Press Club, at 11am on Tuesday. "The decision came from the party."
The event was organized by BNP-affiliated organization, Awaj.
He also said, he has not sent a letter to the speaker requesting her to extend the time for taking his oath as an MP.
Monday was the last day for taking oath, under constitutional provisions. However, the 90-day deadline may be extended with the speaker’s approval.
Replying to another question, Fakhrul said the four others who took their oaths as MPs, on Monday, did so upon the party's directives.
When asked whether Fakhrul will take his oath any time in the near future, he said it will be decided by the party as well.
"We will not compromise with the government," he added.
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The secretary general said BNP's space for practicing democracy was narrowing, which prompted them to enter the parliament.
"Currently, the government is not accountable to anyone," he said. "We did not want to lose the chance to practice democracy inside the parliament, which is why our lawmakers took their oaths."
The government "forced" the BNP lawmakers to take a U-turn, despite deciding to not take oaths in the past, Fakhrul said.
Jatiya Oikya Front leader and Nagorik Oikya Convener, Mahmudur Rahman Manna, who was also present at the program, said: "We were fighting for our space to practice democracy; our fight was gathering momentum.
"However, now we are just swinging from one decision to another, like a pendulum," he said.
He demanded BNP be clear about whether it has decided to come to a compromise with the government, or not.