The Jatiya Sangsad heated up on the first day of 13th National Parliament’s third session, following remarks by Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed. The incident occurred during the parliamentary question and answer session on Thursday.
Around 4pm, Shafiqul Islam Masud, lawmaker for Patuakhali-2, raised questions about the country’s law and order situation.
He mentioned that mugging and extortion in the country had reached their peak, adding that in such a situation, let alone the opposition, even ruling party MPs were not safe. In response, Salahuddin said, “This is not Shahbagh Square.”
Earlier, Hasnat Abdullah, the MP for Cumilla-4, had raised a similar question, to which the Salahuddin replied, “This is not Paltan Maidan.” Responding to Hasnat’s question, Salahuddin remarked, “I could not understand whether this was a question or a speech at Paltan Maidan.”
While the commotion was relatively minor during Hasnat’s speech, opposition MPs launched a strong protest immediately after Shafiqul Islam Masud’s remarks. To bring the situation under control, Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed had to repeatedly call on both sides to remain calm.
The Speaker stated that Salahuddin must be given the opportunity to speak, adding that the Leader of the Opposition would be given the floor after the minister concluded his address.
“Let him answer the questions, and if you do not like it, I will give the microphone to the Leader of the Opposition,” the Speaker said.
However, the protest by the opposition MPs persisted despite the Speaker’s appeal. At one point, the Speaker remarked that democracy would fail if there was no tolerance for others’ opinions.
He added, “The anger you are displaying while the Speaker is talking is contrary to parliamentary practices. I am trying to run [the house] neutrally according to my knowledge and wisdom.”
Following this, Salahuddin was given the floor again. Responding to the opposition members’ objections regarding his choice of words, Salahuddin Ahmed said, “If you can stand all day, I can too. If you do not let me speak, then what is freedom of speech?”
Addressing the opposition MPs’ allegations, he added that if there was a complaint that no suspect had been arrested in a case filed by an opposition MP, specific information must be provided.
He remarked that it is impossible to remedy allegations made out of thin air, stating, “Specific questions must be asked.”
Subsequently, the Speaker gave the Leader of the Opposition, Shafiqur Rahman, the opportunity to speak. Shafiqur began by saying that if he had been given the opportunity earlier, he would have listened to Salahuddin’s speech.
He asked, “Will you deliver the speech, or will I?”
The Leader of the Opposition further stated that making comments in this manner during his speech was indecent.
“With respect, I want to say that he did not utter these words for the first time today. I do not know what he thinks of himself. We have not come here to be his students,” Shafiqur said.
Addressing Salahuddin, he added, “If he wants to teach, he should go and do it at a university.”
Dr Shafiqur Rahman also alleged that the Salahuddin has been speaking in a derogatory manner since the very first day of parliament. He demanded that the home minister’s remarks be expunged from parliamentary proceedings.
This demand triggered renewed tension in parliament. Later, Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed once again urged both sides to remain calm, stressing the importance of maintaining tolerance for others’ opinions for the sake of parliamentary democracy.
Despite the Speaker’s intervention, the uproar continued in parliament for some time. Ultimately, amidst the heated situation, a recess was declared for the Asr prayers.
