Sixteen newly-elected independent MPs yesterday formed an alliance with an aim to make “constructive criticism” of the treasury bench as the 10th Jatiya Sangsad goes into session on January 29.
Awami League’s renegade candidate Hazi Md Selim (Dhaka 7 constituency) is the president of the new group.
Jatiya Party (JaPa) Senior Presidium member Rawshan Ershad has already become the opposition leader, but her party has three representatives in the cabinet, raising criticism about its role as the opposition in parliament.
In parliamentary practices, a party ceases its opposition status if any of its MPs takes part in the cabinet.
The new alliance will now nominate candidates for the elections to women’s reserve seats.
Quamrul Ashraf Khan (Narsingdi 2) and Rustom Ali Forazi (Pirojpur 3) are the two vice-presidents while Razi Mohammad Fakhrul (Comilla 4) is the member secretary of the alliance.
Thirteen MPs yesterday had a meeting with Abdus Shahid, chief whip of the ninth parliament, and informed him about the decision on formation of the group.
Three other MPs – Yousuf Abdullah Haroon (Comilla 3), Abul Kalam Azad (Gaibandha 4) and Swapan Bhattachariya (Jessore 5) – have also consented to joining the group, its leaders say.
Hazi Selim told the Dhaka Tribune that the alliance would tell “white is white and black is black.”
But several MPs having no link with the Awami League politics told the Dhaka Tribune that they would praise the government for its actions while vehemently oppose the treasury bench’s “anti-people” decisions.
“Primarily, we have constituted the group to nominate candidates for the elections to women’s reserve seats,” said Hazi Selim. “It will continue in parliament.”
According to the law on election of the reserved seats, each of the political parties will get share of the 50 women MPs according to the party strength.
The independent candidates can also get shares in case of forming an alliance.
“We have formed the group to maintain a discipline in the House. We will collectively push issues of public importance,” Rustom Ali Forazi, a former BNP lawmaker, told the Dhaka Tribune.
“The independent MPs have freedom to praise or condemn the government. So, we will support the government for good works and oppose for bad decisions,” he said.
Quamrul Ashraf, having no significant political background, said the group would put its efforts to serve as an opposition in parliament. But, he said, it would praise the government, too, for its people-oriented moves.
In the first parliament of 1973, at least five MPs tried to form an opposition group against the Awami League government that won 287 seats out of the total 300 seats.
Its leader Ataur Rahman Khan of Bangladesh Jatiya League demanded recognition as the opposition leader.
But according to the announcement of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman made on April 12, 1973, at least 10 MPs, be it independent or belonging to any party, could constitute an opposition grouping in parliament.