DHAKA NEWS
Dhaka, Mar 18 Opposition leader Khaleda Zia left parliament an hour and a quarter after joining it on Sunday following her 83-day long absence.
She did not rejoin the session after the break for Maghrib prayers after leaving the parliament building at 6:35pm.
Other opposition MPs including opposition chief whip Zainul Abdin Farroque, Moudud Ahmed, Mohammed Jamiruddin Sarker and M K Anwar went back after the break.
The BNP chief had led the MPs from her party and allies to the House after they had sat it out for 77 business days.
The team of opposition MPs entered parliament at 5:12pm through the west side gate with speaker Hamid presiding over the session, who the BNP has been calling 'impartial'.
The ruling MPs, however, were silent when the opposition entered the House. Prime minister Sheikh Hasina was present in parliament that time along with deputy leader of parliament Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, agriculture minister Matia Chowdhury, Jatiya Party president H M Ershad and other senior MPs of ruling Awami League-led 14-party coalition.
Khaleda did not speak in parliament. However, BNP MPs Shahiduddin Chowdhury Annie and Rehana Akter Ranu joined the session's discussion on the president's speech in her presence.
After Ranu's speech, Awami League's reserved seat MP Fazilutunnesa Bappy and opposition's reserved seat MP Shammi Akter engaged in a heated argument to liven things up after a long time.
As the argument was turning into an ugly one, opposition chief whip Farroque and ruling party chief whip Abdus Shahid stepped in and requested the two women MPs to calm down.
The argument began when opposition MPs responded to Treasury Bench MPs' remarks over BNP's relationship with former Jamaat-e-Islami chief and war crimes suspect Ghulam Azam, reports of BNP taking money from Pakistani intelligence outfit ISI before elections, allegations of money laundering against BNP senior vice-chairman Tarique Rahman and some other issues.
According to Parliament Secretariat, there were 284 working days in the 12 sessions of the ninth parliament in all, including the ongoing 12th session's 30 working days.
MPs of BNP and its allies were absent in 233 working days while Khaleda was present on only six.
Claiming that parliament lacks a "congenial atmosphere", the opposition had been continuously boycotting parliament session up until now.
According to law, a seat is lost if a legislator is absent for 90 consecutive working days.
The last time the BNP MPs attended a session was Mar 24 last year. BNP and its allies have 39 seats, including those reserved for women, in the 350-seat in the house.
She did not rejoin the session after the break for Maghrib prayers after leaving the parliament building at 6:35pm.
Other opposition MPs including opposition chief whip Zainul Abdin Farroque, Moudud Ahmed, Mohammed Jamiruddin Sarker and M K Anwar went back after the break.
The BNP chief had led the MPs from her party and allies to the House after they had sat it out for 77 business days.
The team of opposition MPs entered parliament at 5:12pm through the west side gate with speaker Hamid presiding over the session, who the BNP has been calling 'impartial'.
The ruling MPs, however, were silent when the opposition entered the House. Prime minister Sheikh Hasina was present in parliament that time along with deputy leader of parliament Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, agriculture minister Matia Chowdhury, Jatiya Party president H M Ershad and other senior MPs of ruling Awami League-led 14-party coalition.
Khaleda did not speak in parliament. However, BNP MPs Shahiduddin Chowdhury Annie and Rehana Akter Ranu joined the session's discussion on the president's speech in her presence.
After Ranu's speech, Awami League's reserved seat MP Fazilutunnesa Bappy and opposition's reserved seat MP Shammi Akter engaged in a heated argument to liven things up after a long time.
As the argument was turning into an ugly one, opposition chief whip Farroque and ruling party chief whip Abdus Shahid stepped in and requested the two women MPs to calm down.
The argument began when opposition MPs responded to Treasury Bench MPs' remarks over BNP's relationship with former Jamaat-e-Islami chief and war crimes suspect Ghulam Azam, reports of BNP taking money from Pakistani intelligence outfit ISI before elections, allegations of money laundering against BNP senior vice-chairman Tarique Rahman and some other issues.
According to Parliament Secretariat, there were 284 working days in the 12 sessions of the ninth parliament in all, including the ongoing 12th session's 30 working days.
MPs of BNP and its allies were absent in 233 working days while Khaleda was present on only six.
Claiming that parliament lacks a "congenial atmosphere", the opposition had been continuously boycotting parliament session up until now.
According to law, a seat is lost if a legislator is absent for 90 consecutive working days.
The last time the BNP MPs attended a session was Mar 24 last year. BNP and its allies have 39 seats, including those reserved for women, in the 350-seat in the house.
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