National Citizen Party (NCP) MP Akhter Hossen has questioned the government's decision to allow BNP women MPs elected to reserved seats to carry out what he described as "additional responsibilities" in constituencies represented by opposition lawmakers, asking whether the move indicated a shift towards a one-party system.
Raising the issue on a point of order in Parliament on Monday, he sought clarification on the constitutional basis and scope of such responsibilities.
The issue arose after BNP-reserved-seat MP Zeeba Amina Khan, during the question-and-answer session, said she had visited Pirganj and Mithapukur on Sunday under her "additional responsibility". She referred to the government's decision to upgrade a 50-bed hospital to a 100-bed facility, highlighted a shortage of healthcare staff and asked about plans to train young people to work as hospital support personnel.
Akhter Hossen initially attempted to raise the matter immediately, but proceedings were suspended for Asr prayers. After the recess, he said BNP activists in the two Rangpur constituencies had been telling voters that the directly elected MP was not the actual representative and that the reserved seat MP should be regarded as the constituency's MP.
He also referred to an earlier statement by State Minister Mir Shahe Alam, who said no one had been assigned additional responsibilities, contrasting it with Zeeba Amina Khan's remarks.
"Which statement is correct? What is the scope of this additional responsibility? How will it be exercised, and what is its constitutional basis?" he asked.
Alleging that such responsibilities had been assigned only in constituencies represented by opposition MPs, he added: "This raises concerns. Is the BNP trying to establish a one-party system by assigning its reserved-seat women MPs responsibilities in opposition constituencies?"
Deputy Speaker Kayser Kamal asked Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed to respond.
The home minister said reserved-seat women MPs do not represent specific geographical constituencies and are entitled to carry out their parliamentary responsibilities anywhere in Bangladesh. Although he noted that the matter did not formally qualify as a point of order, he said clarification was necessary because it had been raised in Parliament at the Deputy Speaker's direction.
Referring to Article 65 of the Constitution, Salahuddin Ahmed said the Jatiya Sangsad consists of 300 directly elected members and an additional 50 members elected to reserved seats for women. While general seat MPs are elected from defined constituencies, he said, no such territorial boundaries apply to reserved seat MPs.
"Their limited area is the whole country, Bangladesh," he said.
The minister said reserved seat MPs enjoy the same status as directly elected MPs and may allocate resources received from ministries and government agencies anywhere in the country. He said a reserved-seat MP could choose to allocate resources in Cox's Bazar, Banshkhali, Satkania or any other part of Bangladesh.
Salahuddin Ahmed added that when a reserved-seat MP referred to one or two constituencies as "my area", they unnecessarily restricted their own mandate.
"They should say the whole of Bangladesh is their area," he said, adding that the concept of a fixed geographical constituency does not apply to reserved seat women MPs.
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