Opposition Leader Shafiqur Rahman has raised the question of whether walking out of Parliament constitutes a criminal offence.
He posed the question to the Speaker after joining the session on Thursday evening following the Maghrib prayer. The Opposition had staged a walkout before the break, but returned afterwards.
Addressing the House, Shafiqur Rahman said, “We will agree with and cooperate on what we consider logical. What does not stand to our reasoning, we will oppose. This is our responsibility and our right.”
“I would like to know whether walking out of Parliament actually falls under the category of a crime,” he added.
“We all know that it is a democratic right and practice. We have rights, and based on those rights, we have acted as we deemed appropriate in earlier discussions. However, it is unfortunate that senior members, who have served in Parliament before and are here again, made direct comments after we left, which could harm the environment.”
He added, “We are new and we will learn from them. But I would like to know whether we must seek permission from the government party before walking out and returning.”
At the time, the Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said he had stood up out of respect for the opposition leader when they staged the walkout.
During the exchange, the deputy speaker repeatedly requested the home minister to take his seat.
“Please take your seat. Let us proceed with the day’s business. The floor was given to the Leader of the opposition as he was standing. If the Leader of the House had stood, the floor would have been given to him as well. Please take your seat. We have many activities to complete and must pass the bills,” the deputy speaker said.
“I merely said that after all stages of lawmaking had been completed, I could not understand how this worked. I had stood up to offer thanks. They assisted at every step, from the first, second, and third readings. Beyond that, we did not discuss anything further,” he said.
