Minister without portfolio Suranjit Sengupta on Sunday proposed forming a special committee to work out a way to hold a fair and transparent election.
He gave the proposal in the Parliament standing on the point of order.
“Let’s form a special committee to find the way for holding a fair and transparent election,” he said.
Ruling party MP Tofail Ahmed raised the issue in an unscheduled discussion to make his points against opposition BNP leaders’ criticism of the remark of the Speaker that the next election would be held as per the constitution between October 25 and January 24.
Suranjit asked the opposition to come to parliament and place their demands there.
He also said still there is scope for the opposition to have discussion in the last session of the ninth parliament. “Make whatever points you have, this is the last session, it’s the last chance, there’ll be no more scope after this,” he said.
The minister without portfolio questioned the opposition leader’s tour to the northern districts of the country without joining in the parliament session.
He said as per the constitution, the election should be held between October 25 and January 24. “The Speaker did not announce the schedule.”
He also mentioned that the announcement of the election date is the task of the Election Commission.
Suranjit also found the proposal from some quarters to form the interim administration by handpicked people as nothing but mockery with the mandate of people.
Tofail said the Speaker was not wrong to state this in the House as she did not announce the schedule rather narrated the constitutional provisions.
He criticised the opposition leaders for twisting her statement.
The seasoned Awami League leader rejected the opposition’s claim that nowhere on earth election takes place keeping parliament in place.
In this connection, he said India had eight general elections out of 15 keeping Loksabha in place and the others were mid-term polls.
Awami League presidium member Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim turned town any possibility of a neutral, non-partisan or all-party government. “Nothing could be alternative to elected administration to hold the election.”
He said the caretaker government issue was a dead one after the Supreme Court’s verdict.
Selim also ruled out the possibility of holding dialogues with the opposition, saying dialogue could not be held with those who issue deadline for an elected government to leave office.
Independent member Fazlul Azim said there would a catastrophic situation in the country if any one-sided election takes place. “If there’s no settlement over the issue, there’ll be violence and where would we go then?” he said.
He requested the government for not holding any farcical election saying there were many farcical elections in the country held in the past.
Describing the present crisis as a national one, Azim said it should be resolved through national consensus.
Source: UNBConnect
