Dhaka, March 13 -- And so exactly a month after having held a by-and-large acceptable, free-and-fair election for the first time in at least 18 years, the country witnessed the 300 (overwhelmingly) men and (tragically few) women elected to represent them under one roof, as the 13th Jatiya Sangshad started its journey on Thursday (Mar. 12).

The product of the July Uprising that uprooted an entrenched fascist regime that had ruled by presenting a facade of democracy for over 15 years, the results of the election, though awarding a super majority to the BNP-led alliance, presented us with the strongest opposition contingent since the 7th JS (1996-2001). The first day itself, in between the host of formalities that had to be completed, prese...