BNP-led opposition MPs joined the last session of parliament on Wednesday apparently to place their proposal over the election-time government. But following massive disapproval from the treasury bench, they shifted from the stance of picking advisers from 1996 and 2001 caretaker governments.
The BNP, however, reiterated its disapproval to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as the chief of the polls-time government. Opposed again by the ruling Awami League MPs, the opposition walked out of parliament.
The opposition Wednesday joined the session after over three months and later several leaders said they might not join the remaining sittings of the current session that will end on November 7.
Former speaker and BNP lawmaker Muhammad Jamiruddin Sircar led the opposition legislators to join the House around 6:15pm. He placed the formula, in an informal slot, for formation of a non-partisan caretaker government comprising 10 advisers who had served in the 1996 and 2001 caretaker governments, as disclosed by BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia on October 21.
Sircar said the BNP and the Awami League should propose names of five advisers each and form the government to oversee the next elections.
Awami League leader Tofail Ahmed took the floor after Sircar and said they would not find 10 advisers from the two interim governments.
After his arguments, BNP Standing Committee member MK Anwar apparently backtracked saying his party would not mind picking up advisers out of Khaleda Zia’s proposal.
But, he said, the BNP-led opposition would in no way accept Hasina as the head of the interim government. Later when another Awami League MP Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim castigated the opposition for not agreeing over Hasina’s leadership, they staged a walk out.
The BNP lawmakers arrived in parliament around 4pm and had a meeting of the parliamentary party. The House started at 4:35pm with Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in the chair.
The MPs joined the House after Maghreb prayer recess.
After the scheduled question-answer session for the minister was over, the BNP legislators entered the assembly. Sircar took the floor around 7pm on a “point of order” and said he would place the proposal on behalf of the leader of the opposition.
“We hope the prime minister will accept our proposal for the sake of peace, stability and continuation of democratic practices. And she will take effective measures to discuss the matter.”
He said the 15th amendment to the constitution, if not changed, would put the country’s democratic future into uncertainty.
During his speech, both Hasina and Khaleda were absent in parliament.
Tofail followed Sircar. He thanked the opposition for placing the specific proposal in parliament and suggested that the opposition should have place the formula in line with the Rules of Procedure.
“Then we can discuss it and take a decision in his regard,” he said.
Tofail said the opposition leader in her proposal had mentioned that the number of advisers was 20. “Actually, it is 18,” he said. Of them, four former advisers had died, four sick, two declined to serve and one was a current adviser to the BNP.
“So, how can we find 10 advisers?” asked the senior Awami League leader amid desk thumbing of the treasury bench members and in presence of the prime minister.
Sircar took the floor again and said Tofail should not talk on the proposal as it was meant for the prime minister.
Then MK Anwar said: “The prime minister has addressed the nation [on October 18] for a solution [over the election-time government]. We refrained from making any comment. The opposition leader has made another proposal for a solution.”
He said the two parties could settle their differences discussing it behind the scene.
“The main issue is: who will be the head. If we can agree on selecting the chief, then I believe, [selecting] the advisers from the proposals or outside the proposal will not matter.”
Mentioning that there were non-party caretaker governments in Greece, Italy and Pakistan, the BNP leader termed the country’s present political impasse a “constitutional crisis.”
Anwar also said the caretaker government system was not a “permanent solution.”
Sheikh Selim took the floor and said: “What sort of proposal is this [when] you will accept everyone, but not the prime minister?”
He said the government had to amend the constitution in line with the High Court verdict that had declared the caretaker government provision and BNP founder Gen Ziaur Rahman’s takeover illegal.
At that time, the opposition lawmakers started shouting and walked out of the House at 7:48pm.
Selim said the BNP’s existence would be in jeopardy if they would refrain from taking part in the next general election.
Then another senior Awami League leader Suranjit Sengupta spoke on the issue and criticised Jamiruddin Sircar. “When a proposal is placed in House, it becomes the property of the House. So, any MP can talk about it,” he said.
He termed the BNP proposal “a trash.”
Suranjit said: “I want to categorically tell the House that there is no constitutional crisis as a government which came to power with huge mandate is in power.”
