Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury has rejected Opposition Leader Raushon Ershad’s letter nominating Kazi Firoz Rashid as Deputy Opposition Leader in Parliament.
The letter reportedly overlooked law and tradition for nominating someone for the key post.
Raushon wrote to the Speaker on July 27.
As per law, the Speaker decides who to make deputy opposition leader.
On Thursday, Jatiya Party (JP) chief HM Ershad in a statement said his party had not decided on anyone for the post.
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A Parliament Secretariat official said Raushon’s letter did not clearly mention whether the nomination was decided at JP’s parliamentary party meetings.
Deposed military strongman Ershad on Sunday wrote to the Speaker that the parliamentary party was “merely a branch of the party”.
He said the party chairman was also the parliamentary party chief and stressed that the party chairman had the authority to make any appointments or change in JP’s parliamentary party.
Ershad said JP had not decided to appoint anyone so far and added that if such a decision was taken in future, it will be presented to the Speaker after approval from the party’s presidium.
Asked about the matter, Speaker Chaudhury said she would take decision as per law.
“Nomination should be sent to me in the form of decision of the parliamentary party,” she told bdnews24.com.
About Ershad’s letter asking not to make Firoz Rashid the deputy opposition leader, Chaudhury said, “My decision will be based on the parliamentary party’s resolution and nothing outside the Parliament will get priority.”
When approached, Opposition Chief Whip Tajul Islam Chowdhury declined comment saying he was attending a wedding outside Dhaka.
Asked when the JP parliamentary party meeting was held, Firoz Rashid told bdnews24.com that he could not recall the date.
The parliamentary party did not discuss much about nominating a deputy opposition leader, a JP parliamentarian said.
“We have unanimously given ‘madam’ (Raushon) the power to take decision on the matter,” the MP said requesting not to be named as he was not authorised to brief the media on the issue.
“I’ve heard that most Jatiya Party MPs support Firoz Rashid’s nomination,” he said.
Source: Bd news24
