Leader of the Opposition Dr Shafiqur Rahman on Thursday said they want to play a positive and constructive role in Parliament and will not act as a conventional opposition.
“We want to play a positive role as a constructive opposition. We do not want to be a conventional opposition. If the government makes mistakes, we will not only protest but also forge resistance in some cases,” he said.
Shafiqur made the remarks while addressing a view-exchange meeting with reporters at the LD Hall of National Parliament Bhaban following the prorogation of the third session of the 13th Parliament.
He said the government must implement the commitments made to the people regarding the reforms and the referendum.
“Two elections — the general election and the referendum — were held simultaneously on a single day. But they [the government] have backtracked on the promises they made before the nation,” the opposition leader said, adding that they will not leave this demand as long as we are in this Parliament.
He also questioned why the BNP is not accepting the demand despite the party having faced significant repression and torture in the past. “If these reform initiatives are implemented, no political party will be able to establish an authoritarian rule in the future,” he said.
Shafiqur said several laws were passed one after another during the session, but the opposition’s logical suggestions were not properly considered.
SRB is just a change of bottle
Commenting on the Special Response Battalion (SRB) Bill 2026 passed by Parliament on Thursday, the opposition leader said there is no fundamental difference between the proposed SRB and the existing Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).
“There is no difference between SRB and the existing RAB. It is just a change of bottle,” he said.
Shafiqur alleged that the government hurriedly passed the SRB Bill without adequately considering suggestions from the opposition. “The government did not accept any logical suggestion made by the opposition (about the bill),” he said.
He also criticised the passage of the Transfer of Property (Amendment) Bill, 2026, claiming that law goes against the Holy Quran and Sunnah.
Nahid criticises committee formation
Opposition Chief Whip Nahid Islam said the parliamentary standing committees were not formed in line with the July Charter.
He said committee chairmanships were not allocated to the opposition in proportion to its strength in Parliament.
Nahid also alleged that BNP women MPs have been assigned to oversee development activities in constituencies where opposition MPs were elected.
He said the opposition believes the government has failed to address the ongoing gas and power crisis as it could not provide immediate solutions to the problems.
