No letter yet from Fakhrul: Speaker

Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury on Tuesday said she is yet to receive any letter from MP-elect BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam seeking time extension for taking oath, reports news agency UNB.

She, however, said his letter would have been accepted if it had reached the parliament secretariat by 29 April, the last date according to the constitution for taking oath.

The Speaker said this while talking to newsmen at her parliament's office.

“But, steps will be taken over his constituency as per the constitution if Fakhrul Islam failed to send any letter by 29 April,” Shirin said.

According to Article 67 of the constitution, a Member of Parliament shall vacate his seat if he or she fails to take oath or affirm to do so within the 90 days from the date of the first meeting of parliament after his election.

"Provided that the Speaker may, before the expiration of that period, for good cause extend it," said the same article of the constitution

The 11th parliament, formed through the 30 December general elections, went into its maiden session on 30 January 2019.

Earlier in the day, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told a programme in the city that he is not going to take oath as an MP as part of their party's strategy.

“Some TV channels and newspapers are running news that I've sought time (from the speaker) for taking oath which is a blatant lie. I've neither sent any letter nor sought any time,” he said.

In the last general elections, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led Jatiya Oikya Front secured eight seats out of 300. Of those, BNP got six, while its ally Gano Forum bagged two.

Among them, all the Jatiya Oikya Front MPs-elect except Mirza Fakhrul Islam took oath as MPs within the stipulated time.