The BNP lawmakers going to Parliament despite their vehement refusal to take oath has ruffled some feathers of their Jatiya Oikya Front allies.
The Oikya Front leaders are reportedly unhappy with BNP’s decision, saying that for the last four months the alliance’s politics was limited to the dilemma of oath taking.
They say that BNP could have done away with the theatrics if they wanted to go to Parliament and if they cut the deal then the alliance should be informed of it as well.
Jatiya Shamajtantrik Dal (JSD) President ASM Abdur Rab says that a few BNP leaders taking oath won’t legitimise the Parliament.
Nagarik Oikya Convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna does not see BNP’s sudden change in stance in a positive light.
“We have no other way than to fight. You can’t win through compromise,” he said during a program.
He said that if the BNP has entered negotiations with the government the alliance should be informed of it.
Meanwhile, Gano Forum Executive President Shubrata Chowdhury does not think Oikya Front will be affected by BNP’s decision.
According to him, BNP going to Parliament has put an end to the alliance’s four month long dilemma.
Oikya Front Steering Committee member Dr Jahed Ur Rahman criticised BNP’s decision in a status on social media platform Facebook, saying that they should join the Awami League as part of the movement.
BNP contested the Dec 30 national polls in coalition with the Dr Kamal Hossain led Jatiya Oikya Front and won six seats while Gano Forum won two.
They alliance boycotted the polls and consequently refused to take oath accusing the ruling Awami League of blatant vote rigging.
There was much talk about the eight Oikya Front leaders taking oath and Gano Forum’s Sultan Mansur became the first to go against the alliance’s decision and take oath and led to him being banished from the party.
His oath taking was shortly followed by Sylhet-2 lawmaker Mokabbir Khan, who has been show-caused but still retains the party membership.
Despite the two of them taking oath, the BNP maintained that its elected leaders will not be going to Parliament.
However, with the last day to be sworn in drew nearer BNP’s Jahidur Rahman from Thakurgaon-3 went against the party’s mandate to take oath on Apr 25. He was shortly banished from the party.
It was soon followed by four other lawmakers who took oath to their offices on Apr 29, a move that the BNP says is a strategic one.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir remains the only one to not go into Parliament. The Speaker declared his Bogura-6 seat vacant on Apr 30.