The opposition party staged a walkout from parliament, protesting against the president’s address. After leaving, Opposition Leader and Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman, along with National Citizen Party Convener and Opposition Chief Whip Nahid Islam, explained their stance on the matter.
Opposition Leader Shafiqur Rahman said this parliament stands on the blood of the July martyrs, and those who were accomplices of the fascist government or assisted in the killings in the past should not be given the opportunity to speak in parliament.
Highlighting the reasons for objecting to the president, he stated that they consider the President “guilty” for three reasons. Firstly, he alleged that the President did not protest or take any effective action against the killings that occurred in the past.
Shafiqur Rahman said, “The president is the guardian of the state. As a guardian, he has committed heinous crimes against the citizens of the state.”
As the second reason, he raised the context of the president’s address to the nation on 5 August 2024. He claimed that the President had stated in that speech that the then prime minister had resigned and that it had been accepted.
However, later in interviews given to various media, he denied that statement. On this matter, Shafiqur Rahman said, “After the country’s president is proven a liar, he no longer has any moral right to remain as president.”
As the third reason, he said the president had signed an ordinance stipulating that after the election, the elected representatives would serve as members of the Reform Council on one hand and as Members of Parliament simultaneously.
He claimed that according to that ordinance, it was the president’s duty to convene a session of the Reform Council within 30 days of the gazette publication, but that was not done.
He said, “70 percent of people voted in favour of this. He has insulted 70 percent of the people.”
Shafiqur Rahman informed that citing these reasons, they had requested the speaker not to deliver the president’s address in parliament. However, that request was not honoured.
He said, “We walked out of parliament in anger. In the future, we will not tolerate any injustice in this parliament.”
Meanwhile, National Citizen Party Convener Nahid Islam said that since the beginning of the parliamentary proceedings, they have participated in all activities systematically and also spoke. However, they had objections to the president’s address.
He said, “This parliament is a fascism-free parliament. We have achieved this parliament through the sacrifice of thousands of people’s blood.”
Nahid Islam claimed that they had requested the speaker to allow the opposition leader to speak on this matter. But that opportunity was not given.
He said, “In protest of this, we walked out from there.”
They walked out on Thursday when the President began his address at the first session of the new parliament, as per the constitution.
Members of parliament from the 11-party electoral alliance stood in parliament displaying placards and protesting. At that time, Speaker Major (Retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, tried to calm them down.
