Dhaka, Nov 15: The main opposition Awami League, boycotting the Bangladesh Parliament for nearly a year, will stay away again as a new session begins tomorrow. "There is no scope (for al) to join The house unless its demands are met," deputy leader of opposition in Parliament Abdul Hamid told newsmen last evening.
AL lawmakers had been boycotting Parliament since the last budget session in June protesting alleged "derogatory remarks on the leader of the opposition by a treasury bench member and for the chair's refusal to give sufficient time to AL member on the floor of the House".
Asserting that he had repeatedly demanded to the Speaker to expunge UN-parliamentary language used against the leader of the opposition, Hamid alleged, "The Speaker has failed to conduct the session according to the rules of procedures of the Jatiya Sangsad (national Parliament)."
Ruling BNP secretary general and local government minister Abdul Mannan Bhuyian earlier urged AL to join the session and renewed the offer of talks with the opposition.
The session comes amid a controversy over yesterday's remarks by former President of the country and founder secretary-general of BNP Badruddoza Chowdhury that the nation was heading for a "crisis".
The comments by Chowdhury, who was forced to step down in June last year due to intra-party disagreements, attracted criticism from BNP leaders for being "undemocratic and illogical". Bureau Report