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Say sorry, we'll return to JS

Hasina tells PM, speaker

Staff Correspondent
The main opposition Awami League (AL) yesterday preconditioned its return to parliament with apologies from the prime minister and the speaker for their recent remarks.
Emerging from an hour-long crucial meeting of the AL Parliamentary Party (ALPP) at the Sangsad Bhaban last night, Leader of the Opposition Sheikh Hasina demanded apologies for the premier's remarks that she said undermined an AL lawmaker and the speaker's comment about the functioning of parliament.
During Saturday's visit to Faridpur on the occasion of the joining of Bangladesh Jatiya Party leader Shah Mohammad Abu Jafar to BNP, Khaleda Zia introduced Jafar to the people of the constituency as their 'undeclared lawmaker'.
Hasina dubbed the premier's comment as a 'complete negation of people's' elected representative Kazi Sirajul Islam', lawmaker for Faridpur-1 constituency.
The same day, at a meeting with Opposition Chief Whip Abdus Shahid, the speaker said 'despite the absence of opposition AL lawmakers, the parliament was functioning well'.
"When we are thinking of taking a positive decision on return to the Jatiya Sangsad, such deliberate remarks passed by none other than the prime minister and speaker deepen the crisis," Hasina said.
On joining the current session, she said: "Earlier we had a three-point demand, which has today risen to five points with the inclusion of the fresh points of withdrawal of the remarks of both the premier and the speaker and their apologies."
Three earlier demands of the AL include apology of a state minister for making derogatory remarks against the opposition leader, expunction of the remarks and the running of parliament as per the constitution and the rules of procedure.
The AL legislators walked out halfway through the eighth session of parliament on July 25 and continued boycott of the current session that opened on Thursday.
AL's apparent tough line came on the heels of its planned mass procession scheduled for today and 10 days ahead of a nationwide general strike on September 25.
Hasina said her party was not planning resignation from the Jatiya Sangsad, but quickened to add that the government was pushing the party to take to the streets.
She came down heavily on Khaleda for accusing the AL of killing its own leaders and said the ruling alliance was running an anti-AL cleansing drive. It has killed 24,000 people in last two years, she alleged.
Hasina alleged that after killing her party's Khulna city unit leaders, the ruling alliance was targeting leaders of her party in Chittagong and Sylhet. The government has prepared a hit list of 8,000 AL men, she claimed.
Asked what steps she had on mind to protect her party-men from the danger, the AL chief said: "What can we do? I asked Awami Leaguers in Chittagong and Sylhet to stay on guard."
Claiming that looted arms of law-enforcers were retrieved from a fishery owned by a ruling party lawmaker in Khulna, Hasina said, "Godfathers of the prime minister's party killed policemen and Monzurul Imam there."
Protesting the government's 'total neglect of the opposition', she said her party lawmakers would refrain from participating in the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) conference that Dhaka hosts next month.
She said on the 25-member steering committee of the CPA, only two AL lawmakers were included and also without consultation with the opposition leader, deputy leader or the chief whip.
She alleged that violating all recognised rules and norms, the government put two non-parliamentarians on the committee.
Deputy Leader of the Opposition Abdul Hamid said none from the opposition was made convener of any of the nine sub-committees for the CPA conference.