Dhaka, Mar 7 (UNB) – Gono Gorum on Thursday expelled Sultan Mohammad Mansur for taking oath as a member of the 11th Parliament defying the party’s decision.
A letter in this regard signed by party general secretary Mosfata Mohsin Montu was sent to Sultan Mansur on Thursday.
“Your primary membership has been suspended and you’ve been expelled from the party for your activities against the party’s policy, ideals and people’s interest,” says the letter.
Mansur was also relieved from the steering committee of the Jatiya Oikyafront.
Gono Forum’s MP-elect Sultan Mohammad Mansur (Moulvibazar-2) took oath as a member of the 11th Parliament. Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury administered the oath around 11 am at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.
Earlier at a press conference at the party’s central office, Montu said, “Sultan Mansur was a member of Gono Forum. We think he deceived the pro-people principles of our party and acted against our party charter. He took oath today (Thursday) violating party discipline and our instructions. That’s’ why our party, the country’s people and Oikyafront are shocked and aggrieved.”
Apart from expelling him from Gono Forum, he said they will take further necessary actions against him in the days to come. “We’ve also relieved him from Jatiya Oikayfront’s steering committee.”
He said they took the action against Mansur as per the directives of Oikyafront’s convener Dr Kamal Hossain.
Montu said Manusr’s oath taking has made people aggrieved as he did it when the government did not take any step to meet Oikayfront’s demand for a fresh election annulling the results of December-30 ‘farcical’ election.
He accused the Moulivibazar-2 MP of committing acts devoid of parliamentary norms and morality by taking oath violating the party decision.
The Gono Forum general secretary apologies to the nation as Mansur deceive them and breached his committeemen.
Asked whether Gono Forum’s another MP Mokabbir Khan can take oath, he said they did not take any concrete decision in this regard.
He said they will take decision on it later if their party and Oikyafront partners think their representatives should go to parliament as part of a movement against the current illegal government.
Talking to reporters after taking oath, Mansur said he took oath on this historic day March 7 to play a role in ensuring the welfare of the people who elected him amid serious adversities on December 30.
He said he joined parliament as a representative of the Dr Kamal Hossain-led Jatiya Oikyafront. “I took the decision on my own as a representative of Jatiya Oikyafront. But I can say the top-most leader of the Oikyafront has knowledge about what I did.”
As his attention was drawn to Gono Forum leaders’ warning of taking action against him, Mansur said he wants to work for working the people who made him MP. “The party can take any decision, and you should wait for that.”
Stating that he is a follower of Bangabandhu, Mansur said he told his party and alliance after the December-30 election that he would take oath. “I’ve kept my word what I said earlier.”
Replying to a question, the Gono Forum MP admitted that BNP leaders and activists in his seat worked for ensuring his victory. “But I’ll play my role in parliament as a representative of Jatiya Oikya Prokriya.”
Mansur also urged the 7 other MPs-elect of the Oikyafront to take oath so that they can talk about people’s problems and their rights.
Meanwhile, BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi described Mansur’s oath taking violating the Jatiya Oikyafront’s decision as an act of fraudulence in politics.
“His party (Gono Forum) has said it’ll take action against him. I just want to say they’ll turn into mass enemies for breaching commitment and political fraudulence,” he told a press conference.
On March 3, two Gono Forum MPs-elect sent separate letters to the Speaker requesting her to arrange their oath-taking ceremony on historic March 7.
However, Gono Forum’s another MP-elect Mokabbir Khan (Sylhet-2) did not take oath toady due to an ‘avoidable reason’.
BNP along with Gono Forum and some other parties joined the December-30 election in alliance under the banner of Jatiya Oikyafront. BNP bagged six seats while Gono Forum two in the election.
The alliance turned down the election results bringing the allegation of ‘massive vote robbery’ and decided not to join parliament.
