Leaders of the Jatiya Oikyafront have decided that they would not participate in Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s tea party for exchange of greetings, scheduled to be held on February 2, in Gano Bhaban. The Oikyafront yesterday took the decision at its steering committee meeting in Dr Kamal Hossain’s law chamber in Motijheel.

Oikyafront spokesman Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir disclosed this while briefing reporters after the hour-long meeting that began at 4:30pm. “We’ll organise an hour-long human chain wearing black badges on February 6 from 3pm to 4pm to protest against the vote dacoity on December 30. Besides, a mass hearing of Oikyafront candidates will be held on February 24. Its time and venue will be informed later on,” he said.

 Asked whether the two Ganaforum lawmakers-elect would join Parliament, Fakhrul, also the BNP secretary general, said they would not take oath.

Replying to a question, the veteran leader said: “We won’t attend the tea party, which has been organised following a farcical election.”

Another Oikyafront leader, Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury, told The Independent that after being denied police permission to hold a national dialogue, they will arrange a human chain wearing black badges. The Oikyafront sticks to its earlier stand that its lawmakers elect would not take oath. Chowdhury, also founder of Ganasastha Kendra, said they would not join the tea party as the government does not allow them to speak freely.

Earlier on Saturday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina sent letters to Oikyafront leaders inviting them to attend a greetings-exchange meeting over tea on February 2.

The AL-led Grand Alliance swept the 11th parliamentary election with 289 seats, out of 300, and formed the government, while the BNP and its partner Ganaforum got only eight seats and rejected the poll results, alleging “vote engineering.”