& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

BNP boycott on for 30 workdays

Its election manifesto pledged to cost JS membership for absence beyond that period

SHAKHAWAT LnON and Rashidul Hasan
Parliament membership of BNP lawmakers would have fallen vacant tomorrow according to the party's electoral manifesto if they remain absent from parliament on that day, which will mark their absence in the House for more than 30 consecutive workdays.
The BNP strongly denounced the culture of boycotting the House in its electoral manifesto for the December 29 parliamentary elections.
"No’ lawmaker can remain absent from parliament for more than 30 consecutive sitting days without leave of parliament," it says.
Talking to The Daily Star, BNP MP Salauddin Quader Chowdhury yesterday said, "Had we been able to come to power, we would have amended the constitution decreasing the time limit for remaining absent from parliament to 30 consecutive days instead of 90."
The former parliamentary affairs adviser to former premier Khaleda Zia said the BNP is not much thinking
about the electoral pledge now since the party could not come to power.
BNP lawmakers started boycotting parliament from the first day of the budget session, which had 25 workdays, and have continued boycotting the current session, which began last Monday and has already had four workdays as ofThursday.
If BNP and Jamaat lawmakers do not show up today, they will be absent for 30 days at a stretch.
The opposition MPs attended 22 out of 39 days in the first sitting of parlia-
ment, while Leader of the Opposition KhaledaZia attended only three.
Former speaker Jamiruddin Sircar and former law minister Moudud Ahmed have not yet got the chance to attend the House after they won in byelection in April because of the boycott.
Talking to BNP policymakers, it was learnt that party lawmakers will not join the current parliament session, which will be prorogued on September 15.
Jamaat lawmakers will follow the BNP regarding joining parliament.
FROM PAGE 1
According to the constitution, membership of a lawmaker falls vacantifhe/shefemains absent from House proceedings for 90 consecutive workdays without leave.
BNP policymakers said they may continue the boycott for an indefinite period and, if necessary, their lawmakers will join parliament before completion of the 90-day time limit for being absent consecutively to save their membership.
Opposition lawmakers in previous parliaments also did the same thing.
The BNP promised in its electoral manifesto that if voted to power. Jatiya Sangsad will be made the focal point of all political activities and that steps would be taken to create an environment of consensus to bring an end to die culture of boycotting parliament.
Jamaat’s manifesto promised to amend the rules of procedure of parliament and the constitution, if needed, so that partisan or independent lawmakers cannot make the House ineffective by remainingabsenL
The four-party alliance failed to return to power in the ninth parliamentary election but got around 38 percent of the total votes cast. And now, instead of following their own electoral promises they keep boycotting the House putting
the blame on the ruling party.
Both BNP and Jamaat blame the ruling Awami League for ketpihgthWioursid^tiTp^lid-ment, saying the government does not want opposition lawmakers in the House.
Salauddin Quader yesterday said his party is not much interested in returning to parliament 'to legitimise an illegal election by participating in the House proceedings".
Asked how they will face their membership's falling vacant automatically after expiry of the 90-day constitutional time limit for being absent from the House, he said they will go to parliament and sign the register before its expiry to save theirmembership.
Contacted by The Daily Star yesterday, Jamaat's Senior Assistant Secretary General Mohammad Kamaruzzaman said his party is yet to take "any extreme decision" regarding continuing the boycott.
On Thursday, Prime Minister and Leader of the House Sheikh Hasina urged Opposition Leader and BNP chief Khaleda Zia to return to parliament
In response to the call, BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain said on Friday that the atmosphere in parliament is "not conducive" to joining the House.