PM asks JOF MPs to join parliament, raise voice if any

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said Jatiya Oikya Front's decision to boycott parliament is 'politically wrong'.

She urged its elected MPs to join the House and raise their voice there, if any.
"I would like to call upon all who've been elected to join parliament and speak their words there...I expect it," she told parliament while responding to a supplementary question from Jatiya Party MP Fakhrul Imam (Mymensingh-8).

"Now, those who got a few seats participating in the election are not joining parliament out of huff. I think they've taken a wrong decision politically," the prime minister said without mentioning the name of either Jatiya Oikya Front or BNP.

"If they join parliament, they'll get a scope to raise their voice, if any," Hasina said.

She said their words will not remain confined to the House only as the people of the entire country can hear those through the live telecast by the media, including Sangsad Television. "I don't know why they're missing this opportunity," she wondered.

The prime minister said the country's people took their decision long before the election that they would cast votes for Awami League's symbol 'Boat' in the election. "They finally did so as they enjoyed the benefits of development unlashed in the last 10 years of the Awami League government."

Talking about her pre-election dialogue with different political parties, she said she invited all the political parties to talks and sat with them in a good atmosphere.

Mentioning that in the discussions she had urged all to participate in the election, the prime minister said, "We wanted that we all together build our country."

The prime minister reiterated that she will stay at her village home to spend her retirement as the greenery of village always attracts her. "Still, I feel the village life. So, I've always a desire that I'll be living in my village home when I would go on retirement," she told the House.

Hasina said the rural ambience is always effective for people to remain physically and mentally sound. "Our villages are our life."

"I was born in a village and grew up there frolicking and embracing mud, jumping in the water and climbing up trees," she said, adding that though she came away from village at one stage, her attraction to village never faded away.

The prime minister said she loves the open environment of village instead of brick-rocked urban life.

On Tuesday, Hasina said it is her decision that she would go back to her own village to stay there when she goes on retirement.

The day's sitting of the Jatiya Sangsad began at 4:30pm with speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in the chair.