Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina termed on Wednesday Jatiya Oikyafront's decision to boycott Jatiya Sangsad (JS) 'politically wrong', report agencies.
She also urged elected MPs of the Oikyafront to join the House and raise their voice there, if any.
"I would like to call upon all who've been elected to join parliament and speak their words there...I expect it," she told parliament while responding to a supplementary question from Jatiya Party MP Fakhrul Imam (Mymensingh-8).
"Now, those who got a few seats participating in the election are not joining parliament out of huff. I think they've taken a wrong decision politically," the Prime Minister said without mentioning the name of either Jatiya Oikyafront or BNP.
"If they join parliament, they'll get a scope to raise their voice, if any," Hasina said.
She said their words will not remain confined to the House only as the people of the entire country can hear those through the live telecast by the media, including Sangsad Television. "I don't know why they're missing this opportunity," she wondered.
The PM said the country's people took their decision long before the election that they would cast votes for Awami League's symbol 'Boat' in the election. "They finally did so as they enjoyed the benefits of development carried out in the last 10 years of the Awami League government."
Talking about her pre-election dialogue with different political parties, she said she invited all the political parties to talks and sat with them in a good atmosphere.
Mentioning that in the discussions she had urged all to participate in the election, the PM said, "We wanted that we all together build our country."
The PM reiterated that she will stay at her village home to spend her retirement as the greenery of village always attracts her. "Still, I feel the village life. So, I've always a desire that I'll be living in my village home when I would go on retirement," she told the House.
Hasina said the rural ambience is always effective for people to remain physically and mentally sound. "Our villages are our life."
"I was born in a village and grew up there frolicking and embracing mud, jumping in the water and climbing up trees," she said, adding that though she came away from village at one stage, her attraction to village never faded away.
The PM said she loves the open environment of village instead of brick-rocked urban life.
On Tuesday, Hasina said it is her decision that she would go back to her own village to stay there when she goes on retirement.
The PM said the government will publish quickly the gazette of the ninth wage board award for journalists after scrutinising the recommendations submitted by the wage board.
"The ninth wage board has recommended to pay 45 per cent dearness allowance (DA) for the media workers of all the newspapers," she said.
The day's sitting of the Jatiya Sangsad began at 4:30pm with Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in the chair.
The government has announced the ninth wage board and is working sincerely for its implementation to the benefit of all, the PM told the House.
Sheikh Hasina said the government has been forming wage board regularly after each five years to ensure remunerations and other benefits for the journalists and media workers.
Besides, the government has enacted mass media workers (service and condition) act in order to ensure services for the mass media workers at press and electronic media, the PM added.
© 2024 - All Rights with The Financial Express
