Ershad recites poem in Parliament

HM Ershad has addressed Parliament through a poem he wrote for a peaceful Bangladesh. The Jatiya Party (JP) Chairman read out his composition – ‘Our journey begins … want to build our beloved Bangladesh’ - during his concluding speech at the Jatiya Sangsad’s budget session on Thursday afternoon. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the Leader of the House, smiled and clapped, while the House erupted in applause. Ershad’s wife Raushon Ershad, the Leader of the Opposition, was, however, not present during his speech. ‘Do as you wish, Bangabandhu’s daughter, we will support you,’ Ershad told Hasina. ‘People want you to provide them peace. They want to sleep in peace and punishment for offenders. Make sure that happens – and you will forever remain in their hearts like Bangabandhu.’ Ershad, a former military ruler, claimed that JP, the party he founded, never took to ‘destructive’ politics. ‘A helpful environment is needed to implement the budget. It will not be possible if the anarchy started before the January 5 vote continues,’ Ershad cautioned. He said the situation had not wholly improved. ‘A lot of things can happen in a country so big. These things still happen in Narayanganj and Laxmipur and there is no stop to it,’ the former president added, according to bdnews24.com.