Tarique Rahman urges ministers, MPs to be restrained and courteous
BNP Chairperson, Leader of the House, and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has advised ministers and party members of parliament to remain restrained and courteous in their conduct and speech.
He gave this advice at the first meeting of the BNP parliamentary party held at the National Parliament building on Wednesday morning.
Several MPs present at the meeting told Prothom Alo that the prime minister also urged ministers and MPs to be cautious when speaking to the media.
He emphasised that no one should comment on matters beyond their assigned responsibilities.
The meeting began at 11:15am, chaired by the Leader of the House and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, and ended at 1:00pm. Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni delivered the welcome address.
This was followed by speeches from BNP Secretary General and Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed. On the stage, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Salahuddin Ahmed sat on one side of the prime minister, while Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni sat on the other. A total of 209 BNP MPs attended the meeting.
In his address as chair, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman provided ministers and MPs with guidelines on various public welfare programmes undertaken by the BNP and outlined priorities for the coming days.
He also mentioned the BNP’s electoral promise of the “Family Card” programme. The prime minister said, “Many people said many things about our Family Card. But even before the ink mark on voters’ fingers faded, we began implementing our promise. This is the BNP. This is the BNP people want to see.”
He added that the government will launch a nationwide canal excavation initiative. With the upcoming dengue season in mind, he urged everyone to take necessary steps to ensure cleanliness.
Referring to the July National Charter, the prime minister said some aspects of the charter have received “notes of dissent” from various parties. The government will take initiatives to implement the provisions that are feasible.
Earlier, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said that the government would implement only those parts of the July National Charter to which the BNP has agreed.
At the meeting, the prime minister also stressed the importance of regular and punctual office attendance by younger members of the cabinet. He noted that the cabinet includes many senior leaders and said that younger members, in particular, should reach their offices by 9:00am. He also advised them to follow traffic laws when commuting. The prime minister mentioned that he himself follows traffic regulations.
He further called for austerity in all aspects of daily life. In this context, he noted that the situation in the Middle East—particularly tensions involving Iran, the United States, and Israel—is putting pressure on the global economy.
At the parliamentary party meeting, authority to select the new Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the National Parliament was entrusted to Leader of the House Tarique Rahman. The election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker is scheduled to take place at the start of the 13th parliamentary session on Thursday.
According to relevant sources, after the parliamentary session begins tomorrow, there will be a two-day break (Friday and Saturday). Parliament will reconvene on 15 March. After adjournment on that day, the session will resume again on 29 March following Eid al-Fitr.