National Parliament Whip Advocate M Ruhul Quddus Talukder Dulu. Photo: Collected

By Habibur Rahman

DHAKA, May 11, 2026 (BSS) – Jatiya Sangsad Whip Ruhul Quddus Talukder Dulu has stressed on increasing the number of parliamentary seats in line with population growth to ensure state services reach people’s doorsteps.

"When 300-seat parliament was formed, the country’s population was around 35 million. Now the population exceeds 200 million. Accordingly, the number of Members of Parliament should be increased. It is the demand of the time to broaden public representation further.” 

Dulu made the observations in an interview with BSS at his JS office here recently.

Stating that the country must not be allowed to return to the situation that existed before August 5, 2024, Dulu said the people had given their verdict against politics marked by terrorism, extortion, tender manipulation, land grabbing, and oppression.
 
He said people want politics of peace and development, and fulfilling that expectation is the primary responsibility of the current government.

For the past 17–18 years, politics in the country was dominated by terrorism, extortion, hooliganism, repression, and occupation, he said.

"The people voted against these practices. They elected us with great hope, and we must uphold those expectations," he added.

He further said the government is sincerely working to make parliament effective and vibrant.

Mentioning that Leader of the House and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has repeatedly instructed that parliament be made lively and functional, he said parliamentary democracy would become stronger if members of both the ruling and opposition parties worked together.

Dulu said, “If we make mistakes, opposition MPs should point them out according to parliamentary norms. We will correct ourselves. If we fail to fulfill the people’s expectations, they will reject us in the next election.”

He said the current government wants to establish politics of peace, development, and change. 

The government is working with the goal of building Bangladesh into a self-reliant economic and political power, he added.

Sharing experiences from his political life, the whip said his prison life began on March 24, 1982, the day former President Hussain Muhammad Ershad seized power, and continued at different times until 2024. 

He added that he had been imprisoned many times during his long political career.

“I became an MP at a very young age. At that time, I believed parliament was the heart of the country. The country would be governed from here, because 300 MPs represent 200 million people," he said.

Noting that opposition MPs had limited opportunities to speak in parliament during the fascist government’s tenure, Dulu said, “At that time, we could not speak. We were abused with obscene language from the treasury bench. It was difficult for any civilized person to tolerate. After a 17-year struggle, people have regained their voting rights and freedom of speech.”

He also recalled the sacrifices of students, workers, and political activists and paid tributes to the martyrs of the July movement.

He said, “Without their sacrifices, it is difficult to say whether democracy would ever have returned.”

Emphasizing the importance of maintaining a cordial atmosphere between the government and opposition in running the parliament, Dulu said the Prime Minister had instructed that no behavior by treasury bench MPs should hurt opposition members or create a situation leading to a parliamentary boycott. 

He urged everyone to remain cautious so that parliamentary democracy is not called into question.

Regarding the first session of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad, he hoped the positive trend of parliamentary democracy will continue, given the way the Speaker and Deputy Speaker have conducted parliament over the past two months.