Pressure mounts on Ganaforum rebels on MP oath decision
Rafiqul Islam Azad, Dhaka
Two elected lawmakers from Ganaforum, a major partner of opposition alliance Jatiya Oikyafront, are under pressure from their party and the alliance not to take oath and join parliament. Leaders of Ganaforum and Oikyafront, which rejected the results of the December 30 parliamentary polls for alleged election engineering, reiterated their decision that none of the lawmakers elect from BNP and Ganaforum would join parliament.
They also warned of necessary measures against the twoSultan Muhammad Mansur and Mukabbir Khanif they violated the decision. The two lawmakers elect, however, said they would join parliament in time to show respect to the mandate of the people. They claimed that their respective constituents were pressuring them to take oath as MPs.
Talking to The Independent, Mansur, who won from Moulavi Bazar-2, reiterated that he was ready to join parliament. Hundred per cent people of my constituency are in favour of my joining parliament. I will take oath and join parliament to show respect to the peoples mandate and play my role for the development and welfare of my constituency and its people, he said.
The former student leader argued that the people voted him to join parliament to be their voice and he would do so. Asked when he would join parliament, Mansur said he was yet to finalize the time and date. On his part, Mukabbir, who was elected from Sylhet-2, expressed his eagerness to take oath as an MP. He, however, added that he would join parliament after taking approval from his party. The decision of my party and me over joining parliament is same, he added.
Mukabbir claimed, There is pressure from the people of my constituency to join parliament. I receive phone calls every day from my constituents to join parliament. He, however, said there was still time and he was observing the situation.
When contacted, Ganaforum executive president Advocate Subrata Chowdhury said their decision not to take oath and join parliament was still in force. Being the candidates of Ganaforum as well as the Jatiya Oikyafront, they (the two lawmakers) are bound to abide by the decision As Ganaforum is a registered political party, there is a legal structure and they have to abide by it, he said.
Let them do anything against the decision and we will take whatever measure is needed, he warned. Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal general secretary Abdul Malek Ratan also said that they were still firm on the decision of not joining parliament.
It will be treated personal interest and political bankruptcy if anyone does something against the decision of the party and Oikyafront, he said.
After a meeting of Oikyafront steering committee on January 31, top alliance leader and Ganaforum president Dr Kamal made it clear that no Ganaforum MP elect would take oath and join parliament Two Ganaforum candidates and eight BNP candidates won the December 30 election.
Oikyafront, in which BNP is a major partner, took part in the election from a common platform, but they rejected the poll results. However, the cases of Mansur and Mukabbir came for discussion as both of them evinced interest in joining parliament.
Mansur joined Ganaforum as its preliminary member just ahead of the election and contested the polls under the banner of Oikyafront and with the poll symbol BNP (sheaf of paddy). Mukabbir is a presidium member of Ganaforum and contested the polls under the partys symbol (rising sun). He was nominated from the party following the cancellation of the BNP nominees candidature. As per the law, an MP-elect should take oath within 90 days from the start of the first session of parliament or else he/she would lose his/her seat.
