BNP lawmaker Harun resigns from Parliament

Staff Reporter :
The remaining Member of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in the Parliament Harunur Rashid has tendered his resignation to the Speaker of the House, ending the BNP’s representation in the Parliament.
Md Harunur Rashid, who was the Member of Parliament from Chapainawabganj-3, submitted his resignation in person to Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury on Thursday.
He, however, tendered his resignation in December through email as he was in Australia. But the Speaker did not accept it then.
On 11 December, six of seven MPs of BNP resigned as part of the party’s decision to wage anti-government movement with a 10-point demand.
The MPs who resigned earlier were Md Zahidur Rahman, Thakurgaon-3; Md Mosharof Hosen, Bogura-4; Gulam Mohammad Siraj, Bogura-6; Md Aminul Islam, Chapainawabganj-2, Abdus Sattar Bhuiyan, Brahmanbaria-2; and Rumeen Farhana, Women’s Reserved Seat.
Following their resignation, the Parliament Secretariat on December 11 published a gazette notification announcing the six parliamentary seats vacant after their resignation.
Later on 18 December, Election Commission announced the by-elections to the vacant parliamentary seats scheduled to be held on 1 February.
Now when the Speaker will accept the resignation of Harunur Rashid, the parliamentary seat will be vacant and EC then will announce fresh date for by-election.
Meanwhile, talking to the reporters on the Jatiya Sangsad premises, Harunur Rashid said there was no scope for the Speaker to reject the resignation letter.
“But the speaker told me there is an opportunity to present the party’s demands in parliament if I don’t resign,” he added.
“There is no such opportunity anymore as six MPs of BNP have already resigned,” he continued.
About their joining in the parliament, he said, “You all know that only seven were elected from BNP in the parliament which was formed through the dubious election in 2018. At that time we joined Parliament on the instruction of our acting chairman and even today we are resigning as per the right decision of the acting chairman.”
About free, fair and participatory election, he said that reformation of the constitution and laws along with a impartial government is needed for holding a fair election.
He also demanded immediate release of his party top leaders and activists who were arrested ‘in false and fabricated cases’ following the clash in Nayapaltan on December 7.
On Tuesday BNP senior leader Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said that around 2,500 leaders and activists including party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Standing Committee Member Mirza Abbas had been arrested in the last 15 days.
Apart from 10-point charter of demand announced from the Golapbag rally on December 10, aimed at toppling the government through a simultaneous movement, BNP has also announced 27-point outline recently.
The demands include ‘repairing’ the constitutional, judicial and administrative frameworks including a bar on serving as the President and the Prime Minister for more than two consecutive terms and also reintroducing the caretaker government.
Rejecting BNP’s 27-point outline, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader has said that it is a ‘stunt’.
He said that AL government is moving forward with the goal of making a ‘Smart Bangladesh’ by 2040.