For the first time in 10th parliament, the speaker yesterday reminded the lawmakers not to violate the Rules of Procedure that debars the MPs from using unparliamentary and objectionable words and comments in the legislature.
Deputy Speaker Fazle Rabbi Miah, who was chairing the sitting when Awami League MP Yunus Ali Sarker was speaking, alerted the MPs about the Rules of Procedure since they frequently used such words.
Yunus Ali Sarker in his budget speech said: “Tarique Rahman’s gene is the gene of an autocratic ruler while Sajeeb Wazed Joy’s was that of Bangabandhu [Sheikh Mujibur Rahman].”
As he finished his speech, Fazle Rabbi said: “Honourable members, I earnestly request you to follow rules 267 and 268 of the Rules of Procedure.”
The rules 267-270 have the guidelines for the MPs to talk in the House, restricting them from using unparliamentary words.
According to parliamentary rules, the chair is considered as the speaker.
Over the last 49 days’ sittings in two sessions of the current parliament, the legislature saw frequent comments on BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, her elder son and party’s Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman and its founder Gen Ziaur Rahman.
But neither Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury nor the deputy speaker reminded the MPs about avoiding unparliamentary words.
Deputy Leader of the House Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury said the Awami League-led government could not achieve desired growth due to the “violent politics” of the BNP-Jamaat.
“Those, who are not eager to see development, talk against the country abroad. We had to resist them all the year round,” she added.
Fisheries and Livestock Minister Sayedul Haque told the House that Bangladesh too could come out as a strong economy like India and China – the two emerging powers in global politics.
“Bangladesh’s geographic location is very important,” he said. “India for the sake of its security interests will maintain good relations with Bangladesh.”
Another former minister, Motahar Hossain, told the House: “The civil society members have been talking rubbish and the BNP-Jamaat has joined them.”
Without mentioning the name of the BNP, Kazi Nabil Ahmed of Jessore 3 said: “Not taking part in the poll [on January 5] without any valid ground, a big political party resorted to the path of violence. They have been threatening [the government] with agitation.
“They will be defeated; [they will be] defeated repeatedly,” he said.
Kazi Nabil also urged the government to give the freedom fighters festival bonus in two Eids.
Ziaul Haque Mridha MP in his speech said the government must check bureaucratic hassles to implement the budget. He said the Jatiya Party was the real opposition in parliament, though it had representatives in the cabinet.
Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury chaired the sitting as the House resumed around 11:15am. The deputy speaker took over the sitting before it was adjourned around 5pm. The House started again around 5:20pm.
