Senior lawmaker of BNP Barrister Moudud Ahmad on Wednesday said that they would not join the parliament during the placing of budget by the finance minister on Thursday.
They will skip the session on Thursday protesting what he said “discriminatory behaviour of the Speaker” as she did not allow an opposition lawmaker to talk in the House on point of order. Briefing newsmen at the parliament complex following the second walkout of the opposition, he said: “The ruling party assured us that they will give us enough time to speak in parliament. But the showed discriminatory behaviour.”
Earlier at 6.35 pm on Wednesday, the opposition made their first walk out protesting a statement by the minister but rejoined the session after the Maghrib prayer break.
Replying to a query by Awami League MP Imaz Uddin Pramanik, jute and Textile Minister Abdul Latif Siddiquie blamed BNP founder late President Ziaur Rahman for the destruction of the jute industry.
Then raising a complimentary question, Moudud urged the minister not to make any abusive comment about the BNP founder. In response, the jute minister made some negative remarks about Moudud prompting the opposition to stage their first walkout.
They made their second walkout when the Speaker did not allow BNP lawmaker Syeda Ashrafi Sultana Papia to talk in the House on point of order.
When Papia started to talk about foreign minister’s remark about BNP Senior Vice Chairman Tarique Rahman, the Speaker told her that she could not talk on this issue and urged the BNP lawmaker to give a notice for discussion.
Soon after the speaker’s ruling, BNP staged their second walkout.
Earlier, rising on a point of order, Moudud Ahmad told the parliament that the government has violated the constitution for not placing the agreements Bangladesh has signed with India before the House.
He said, “The prime minister has signed many agreements and memorandum of understanding (MoU) with India during her visit. But the government is yet to place those before the parliament. It has violated the constitution. The House doesn’t know about the conditions of these agreements.”
Moudud further said that an international tender has been invited for feasibility study on the Indian external ministry’s website for construction of a container terminal at Narayanganj on May 10. “The nation is astonished to see the news. Is there any government in the country,” Moudud asked.
“It needs permission from the board of investment and the government before any investment. But India didn’t take any permission in this regard. Even the foreign ministry of Bangladesh is in dark in this regard. Rather they sent a letter to New Delhi,” Moudud alleged.
The BNP lawmaker further said that construction of Indian Tipaimukh dam is going on fast but the ‘government failed to do anything in this regard.’
“The Surma and Kushiara rivers will be dried if the Indian Tipaimukh dam is constructed. The whole area will be turned into desert. The neighbouring country has constructed 12 barrages in the upstream,” he said.
AL lawmaker Tofail Ahmed then took the floor and in response said, the government didn’t give any permission for construction of container terminal at Narayanganj.
“A private company wanted to construct a container terminal. The government just allowed for conducting a study there. The government didn’t sacrifice the interest of Bangladesh in this regard,” he said.
The prime minister didn’t sign any agreement and MoUs with India against the interest of Bangladesh.
-With The Independent input
