No opposition lawmakers at helm

No MP from the main opposition Jatiya Party has been put in charge of any parliamentary committee. Another 26 parliamentary committees have been formed, pushing the total number of watchdogs in the 10th Jatiya Sangsad (parliament) to 50. Among the chairs of these committees, 12 are members of the last cabinet. There were two committee chairs in the ninth parliament from the main opposition BNP, and two from Jatiya Party. No independent member has been made chairman of any committee either. Twenty-six committees were formed on Tuesday, ten committees on Monday, nine on Sunday and five on February 5. Chief Whip ASM Firoz proposed the formation of the committees, Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury put them to vote and they were approved by voice vote, according to bdnews24.com.