Bangladesh News

The BNP-led opposition lawmakers yesterday stormed out of the Jatiya Sangsad twice in protest at the remarks made by a minister and a senior ruling party lawmaker on late president Ziaur Rahman.

The opposition lawmakers flew into a rage as Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan in the evening reiterated Awami League MP Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim’s comment on the late president’s body.

Shahjahan said, “Let’s prove Selim wrong by examining whether Ziaur Rahman’s dead body lies in the grave.”

Many treasury bench lawmakers supported the shipping minister by thumping desks.

AL presidium member Selim in last February demanded a DNA test to prove whether Zia’s body was inside the coffin, which was buried at Chandrima Udyan in 1981.

Earlier in the afternoon, participating in the thanksgiving motion on the president’s address, BNP lawmaker Rehana Akhtar Ranu tried to undermine Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. “I saw a naughty boy has named a public toilet after Bangabandhu.”

Treasury bench lawmakers protested at the remark.

Shahjahan, too, was taking part in the thanksgiving motion. Infuriated by his remark, the opposition lawmakers stood on their feet and started shouting.

A number of opposition lawmakers threw files and papers and some of them rushed to the place in front of the speaker’s podium.

BNP lawmakers, including Moudud Ahmed, tried to draw attention of the chair and demanded the shipping minister’s microphone be switched off.

In response, Deputy Speaker Col (retd) Shawkat Ali, who was presiding over the sitting, said how he would switch off Shahjahan Khan’s microphone as the minister was still speaking.

“If you have any say, I will hear you,” the deputy speaker said.

The agitating lawmakers left parliament at 7:06pm and came back around 7:13pm as soon as the shipping minister finished his speech.

Returning to the House, Moudud and Opposition Chief Whip Zainul Abdin Farroque demanded the floor but the deputy speaker refused to give them any. “Moudud Ahmed, you will speak today on the thanksgiving motion, ” Shawkat Ali said.

The deputy speaker said speech of the shipping minister would be examined if there were any unparliamentary words in it.

The BNP-led lawmakers again walked out of parliament at 9:07pm as AL lawmaker Tofail Ahmed made a comment on Ziaur Rahman.

They did not return to the House last night.

“How does he [Moudud Ahmed] expect that we in parliament will utter his [Zia] name who became army chief and later grabbed the state power after assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,” Tofail said referring to Moudud’s speech.

Before Tofail took part in the thanksgiving motion, Moudud Ahmed criticised the treasury bench lawmakers for not showing minimum respect to late president Ziaur Rahman. “But we try to show respect to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,” Moudud said.

Taking part in the thanksgiving motion, Tofail replied to Moudud’s remarks.

“Ziaur Rahman killed many freedom fighters, gave shelter to the killers of Bangabandhu and destroyed the country’s constitution,” Tofail added.