Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives (LGRD) State Minister Mir Shahe Alam on Friday urged opposition parties to abandon long marches and protest programmes and join parliamentary discussions, saying five seats had been kept vacant for them on the constitutional amendment committee.
“Leave aside long marches and protest programmes and come to parliament. Five seats have been kept vacant for the opposition on the constitutional amendment committee. You can nominate five representatives at any time and play a responsible role,” he said.
The state minister made the remarks at a press briefing at the Shibganj Upazila Parishad building in Bogura around 10am.
He criticised opposition leaders for not attending the inauguration of a memorial built in memory of those killed during the July-August uprising, despite being invited, saying they had offered lame excuses for their absence.
“Those who want to engage in politics over July-August throughout the day showed their deceptive attitude by staying away from the inauguration ceremony,” he said.
Mir Shahe Alam said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman attended the inauguration of the July Memorial, built by the government at Osmani Udyan, on October 19 as the chief guest.
He said the Dhaka South City Corporation had invited the presidents and general secretaries of like-minded, allied and coalition political parties to the event.
The prime minister inaugurated the memorial and reopened Osmani Udyan after 10 years in the presence of four families of those killed during the uprising, including the fathers of Mir Mughdho, Abu Sayeed and Anas, as well as the mother of another victim, the state minister said.
He said the names of 834 officially recognised martyrs had been inscribed on the memorial, describing it as the only such memorial in Bangladesh.
Referring to the opposition's explanation that they had skipped the event because the opposition leader's name was not included on the invitation card, Mir Shahe Alam said the argument was not valid.
Had opposition leaders attended, the prime minister would have invited their representatives onto the stage, he added.
Later, the state minister attended a prize-giving ceremony for talented teachers and students at the Shibganj Upazila Parishad auditorium as the chief guest.