BNP joined JS to protect membership: Tofail

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Chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Industries Tofail Ahmed Thursday said that the main opposition BNP lawmakers had joined parliament session to protect their memberships and take remuneration and privileges, reports BSS.
"The BNP lawmakers did not join the session to discharge actual responsibilities to the people of their respective constituencies, rather they had joined parliament to protect their memberships," he said taking floor on a point of order in the Jatiya Sangsad (JS).
Later, taking floor on points of order Workers' Party President Rashed Khan Menon and JSD member Moinuddin Khan Badal also criticised the main opposition BNP for staying away from parliament on Thursday.
Refuting the opposition's allegation that the Speaker is not neutral, Tofail Ahmed said that the Leader of the Opposition took 1.57 hour to deliver her speech in the House on the Thanks Giving Motion on the President's Address while the Leader of the House got only 49 minutes to complete her speech.
"The leader of the opposition would not have got such a long time to deliver her speech in the House, had the Speaker not been so liberal and neutral," he added.
He said the opposition should join parliament session to strengthen the parliamentary democracy through making the JS more effective.
Rashed Khan Menon said the opposition BNP lawmakers kept themselves away from the JS as they did not believe in parliamentary democracy. They joined the House only to protect their parliamentary seats and take all remuneration and privileges of the parliament members.
JSD lawmaker Moinuddin Khan Badal criticised the leader of the oppositions for leaving the House moments after the Leader of the House and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stood up to deliver her speech on the thanks giving motion on the President's address.