Jatiya Party (JaPa) leaders have held a joint meeting with newly elected lawmakers from the party regarding their role in parliament.
The three-hour-long meeting was held at the party chairman's office around 2pm on Wednesday. Although JaPa decided elected MPs from the party would take their oaths on Thursday, they did not decide on their role in parliament.
In a press briefing after the meeting, JaPa Secretary General Mashiur Rahman Ranga said: "We have decided to take oaths on Thursday. We will decide on our role in the House after taking oaths."
JaPa Co-Chairman GM Quader said the party will sit for meeting with partners in the Grand Alliance after taking oaths on Thursday, to hold discussions on their role in parliament.
"We were a member of the Grand Alliance during the election. Our [Grand Alliance members'] views and targets were the same, so the decision on our role in the House must come through a process of discussions with partners," he added.
GM Quader declined requests for comment on the selection of the opposition party leader in parliament, saying the party needed to decide on their role in the House first.
When asked what was discussed in the three-hour-long meeting, the JaPa co-chairman said the meeting focused on the current situation and political environment in the country.
Regarding the environment during the general election, GM Quader said it was held in a free and fair manner in his area, but he could not speak for other regions as he was not monitoring them.
On BNP's allegations of irregularities during the polls, he said it would not be wise to make a comment on the matter as BNP was yet to file a written complaint.
When asked how many seats JaPa were expecting, the JaPa co-chairman said: "People want to win everywhere, but this is not always possible. We accept the people's mandate."
Regarding the necessary characteristics for an opposition party, he said it was better to have a strong opposition in parliament but the people's mandate has to be followed. "Parliament will be run in the way that the people mandate. The people gave significant mandate to the Grand Alliance, so Parliament may have an opposition party or it may be a national government."
