Gono Forum MP-elect Sultan Mansur takes oath of office

The Jatiya Oikya Front MP-elect Sultan Muhammed Mansur Ahmed took his oath of office in parliament on Thursday in defiance of the coalition decision against it.

Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhary conducted the swearing-in ceremony at her office in parliament at 11 am.

A member of Kamal Hossain’s Gono Forum, Mansur contested the Dec 30 polls from Moulvibazar-2 and won the seat under the ‘paddy sheaf’ symbol.

A former vice-president of Dhaka University Central Students’ Union or DUCSU and president of Bangladesh Chhatra League, Mansur had risen to the position of organising secretary in the Awami League.

Mansur joined hands with Gono Forum chief Dr Kamal Hossain after he incurred the wrath of the Awami League leadership for seeking reforms during the 2007-08 military-controlled caretaker government.

As part of the Jatiya Oikya Front alliance led by Dr Kamal Hossain, the BNP could only manage six seats while the Gono Forum bagged two in the Dec 30 polls.

Alleging widespread rigging and intimidation of candidates and their supporters, the Oikya Front later said the eight MPs-elect from the alliance would not take oath.

The other Gono Forum candidate, Mukabbir Khan, won the Sylhet-2 seat under the party’s ‘rising sun’ symbol.

Mukabbir, who had written to the speaker about his readiness to take oath as an MP, later backtracked on his decision.

He told bdnews24.com on Wednesday that he would not take oath on Thursday as per his party's decision.    

But, he added, it does not mean that he will never take oath as a member of the 11th parliament.

“I respect my constituents’ decision. But the Gono Forum in my presence has decided not to take oath on Mar 7. So I’ve changed the date,” he said.

He would set the date later after discussions in party forum, Mukabbir said.

On Sunday, Gono Forum General Secretary Mostafa Mohsin Montu told reporters: “We will take legal actions against them (the Gono Forum MPs-elect) if they take oaths.”

“They’d have to be crazy to go there against the party’s decision. It’s unacceptable for them to do so.”

Defending his decision to secure his parliamentary berth, Sultan Mansur said that he will take his oath of office to uphold the will of his constituency.