Independent lawmakers have been waiting for the directives of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in carrying out their dos and don’ts after winning the 12th parliamentary elections, defeating the Awami League-nominated candidates.
The issue has been in the discussion since their victory in the January 7 polls, following the AL’s decision of allowing the grassroots leaders to contest the polls due to the boycott by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
Taking the opportunity, some 62 independent candidates became victorious, resulting in grouping in some areas while incidents of violent clashes were also reported.
In the polls, Jatiya Party (Ershad) got 11 seats, Bangladesh Workers Party, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) and Bangladesh Kalyan Party got one seat each.
People become curious whether the independent MPs will play the
role of the opposition or they will remain with the ruling side.
Following Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s invitation to the independent MPs at Ganabhaban, the issue has taken again the centre point of discussion.
Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday invited the independent lawmakers to Ganabhaban to hold a meeting with them at 6:30pm on Sunday.
Asked about the meeting, AL insiders say that the Leader of the House will sit with the independent lawmakers on Sunday.
But what will be discussed in the meeting, none but the Leader of the House knows, they said.
Talking to Bangladesh Post, some independent MPs, mostly leaders of the Awami League grassroots, say that they have been involved with the politics of the AL for long and they have contested the polls after the AL’s decision of allowing them to run the polls.
Iftiquar Uddin Talukder Pintu, elected from Netrokona-3 constituency, said that he had been involved with the AL politics for long.
Pintu, who was first elected MP with the Awami League (AL) ticket, vied the polls this time as an independent candidate after getting an opportunity.
“Though I have won the polls as an independent candidate, I am still an Awami Leaguer,” he said.
“It depends on the decision of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina what role I will play in the house in future. I will act in line with the directive of the premier,” he said, adding that he had been eagerly waiting for the directives.
Another independent lawmaker Mahmud Hasan Sumon, elected from Mymensingh-8 constituency, also came up with same opinion.
“The way the Prime Minister wants, I will play my role,” he said.
Out of 62 MPs, 59 serve the politics of the ruling party while the rest three are from different parties.
SAK Ekramuzzaman, elected from Brahmanbaria-1 constituency, was axed from the BNP for participating in the polls.
Mohammad Huchamuddin Chowdhury was elected from Sylhet-5 constituency defeating the AL-backed candidate. Before the polls, he met AL president Sheikh Hasina. Following his meeting, the local AL leaders campaigned for him.
The AL left the Nilphamari-4 constituency for Ahsan Adelur Rahman, nephew of JP chairman GM Quader, to contest the polls with plough symbol.
Being deprived Md Siddiqul Alam, also vice president of the JP, vied the polls as an independent candidate and won the race. But he was expelled from the party for breaching the party discipline.
Now he wants to remain with the ruling side.
Amid the stance of the independent lawmakers, constitutional experts say that independent candidates have no bar to join the treasury bench.
Former law minister Barrister Shafique Ahmed told Bangladesh Post that there is no constitutional bar in this regard.
“If the independent lawmakers want to join the ruling side, there is no constitutional bar,” he added.
