Cancel 45 JS standing bodies, demands AL

Opposition Chief Whip Abdus Shahid called on Speaker Jamiruddin Sircar yesterday at his office at the Sangsad Bhaban and lodged the protest.

In a letter submitted to the Speaker, Abdus Shahid alleged that 45 standing committees were formed violating the constitution and the Rules of Procedure of the Jatiya Sangsad.

Thirty-nine committees on various ministries and six on the Jatiya Sangsad were formed without the participation of AL lawmakers in the seventh and eighth sessions of the Jatiya Sangsad.

The speaker dismissed the allegation and said all the standing committees were formed as per the Rules of Procedure.

He also asked the opposition chief whip to nominate deputies for the committees and make the parliamentary bodies functioning.

The Speaker and the opposition chief whip gave contradictory statements about yesterday's meeting. Abdus Shahid said the speaker had invited him while Sircar told newsmen that he did not invite the opposition chief whip.

At the meeting Sircar also asked the opposition chief whip to resolve the parliamentary standoff. He gave assurance that if they (opposition) joined the parliament they would be given adequate time to speak.