Bangladesh News

Parliament proceedings were disrupted for five minutes yesterday over the opposition chief whip’s allegation that the prime minister’s son Sajeeb Wajed Joy is involvement in illegal VoIP business.

And BNP lawmakers staged an hour-long walkout from the House as the opposition chief whip was not allowed to speak beyond his allocated time.

Prior to this, treasury bench lawmakers burst into stormy protests at the allegation against Joy and shouted at the opposition bench.

This forced the deputy speaker to switch off the microphone of Opposition Chief Whip Zainul Abdin Farroque, who was speaking even after the 25-minute time allocated for him.

The deputy speaker’s action infuriated the opposition lawmakers. They jumped up in protest and started shouting and throwing papers and files in the air, demanding floor for Farroque again.

Around 100 lawmakers of the treasury and opposition benches leaped out of their seats and shouted without microphones. They sneered and shouted at each other saying “shut up”.

Deputy Leader of the House Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury and Awami League senior lawmaker Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim were among the more than 65 treasury bench members who angrily protested Farroque’s allegation.

On the deputy speaker’s refusal to allow Farroque to speak again, the opposition lawmakers staged the walkout at 4:21pm and returned to the House at 5:21 pm.

The chair gave the floor to treasury bench Chief Whip Abdus Shahid for taking part in the thanks-giving motion on the president’s address. Until the chair announced expunging the remarks against Joy, treasury bench lawmakers continued shouting.

Shahid launched a blistering attack on Leader of the Opposition Khaleda Zia’s son Tarique Rahman. He said Joy is ‘gold’ and Tarique is ’silver’.

Taking the floor later, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury bitterly criticised Khaleda and her two sons for whitening black money. “No other document is required to prove that those who whiten black money are corrupt,” she said.

Earlier, taking part in discussion on the thanks-giving motion, the opposition chief blasted the government for what he said unbridled extortion, manipulation of tender and deterioration of law and order.

The country is now in a grave situation. People cannot bear with this anymore, he said.

Farrouque claimed that it was Ziaur Rahman who declared independence of the country in 1971, and cited some documents in support of his claim.

Citing a news report, he said the government is losing huge amount of revenue for illegal VoIP, and Joy is involved in the business.