The Daily Star
Heated exchanges erupted twice in the parliament today — first over Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed’s statement on an expelled Islami Chhatra Shibir leader facing a rape case, and later over remarks by treasury bench MP Manirul Haque Chowdhury over women MPs’ attire.
At about 3:10pm, the home minister delivered two statements under Section 300 of the Rules of Procedure, one on former police chief Benazir Ahmed’s arrest in the UAE and another on expelled Islami Chhatra Shibir leader Jisan Mia Pradhan, who is facing a rape case.Salahuddin said that, according to Cumilla police, Pradhan had allegedly lured a woman into a relationship and had sexual relations with her after promising to marry her. He also allegedly forced her to terminate a pregnancy. When she later pressed him to fulfil his promise, he agreed to marry her on June 12 but went into hiding the night before.
The minister also alleged that some verified Facebook pages had misrepresented Pradhan’s disappearance in an attempt to blame the government.
“Once the facts emerged, we felt it necessary to present them to the nation through parliament,” he said.
Deputy Opposition Leader Syed Abdullah Mohammed Taher immediately raised a point of order, questioning why the home minister had been allowed to make a second statement.
He accused the minister of using a controversial issue to deliberately target a political party.
“This is perhaps the first time in Bangladesh’s parliamentary history that such a statement has been made to condemn a party. Is there a plot? Police and the home minister seem aligned in presenting this narrative,” Taher said.
He demanded that the statement be expunged from the record, arguing that neither journalists nor others were being allowed to speak with Pradhan or the alleged victim.
As opposition MPs shouted across the floor, Deputy Speaker Kayser Kamal intervened and assured them that the matter would be reviewed before any decision was taken.
About an hour later, another heated exchange broke out during Manirul Haque Chowdhury’s speech on the supplementary budget for FY 2025-26.
At one point, Manirul recalled a 2001 event to which former minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain had invited MPs and their spouses. He said he did not attend with his wife, although several others did, including Syed Abdullah Mohammed Taher.
According to Manirul, he asked Taher, “Brother Taher, where is your wife?”
Taher replied, “Here she is.”
Manirul said he then saw a woman walking nearby and remarked, “How were we supposed to recognise her?”
Returning to the present, Manirul welcomed the female MPs who had joined parliament and praised their abilities and potential.
“I listened to two of their speeches. They are educated, capable and have the potential to achieve much in the future. But I could not understand who they were,” he said.
Opposition MPs rose to their feet and shouted in protest, while treasury bench members soon joined the heated exchanges. The uproar continued for several minutes despite repeated attempts by the deputy speaker to restore order.
Manirul insisted he had not insulted anyone and said he was merely recounting a past incident.
“If anyone feels demeaned, I apologise. I did not mean to belittle anyone,” he said.
As protests continued, the deputy speaker urged opposition MPs to return to their seats and ruled that the portion of Manirul’s remarks relating to personal freedom would be expunged from the parliamentary record.
Opposition MPs applauded the ruling, while Manirul thanked the deputy speaker.
Addressing the House, Kayser Kamal reminded MPs of the need to maintain parliamentary decorum.
“We are all elected representatives. If we fail to uphold the dignity and decorum of the House, we will be answerable to the nation. Parliament is the forum for democratic practice, and no one should make remarks about another person’s personal choices in future,” he said.
Manirul later said he had not anticipated such a reaction. “If my words, in form or gesture, offended anyone, I request they be expunged. Perhaps they misunderstood,” he said.
Although his allotted speaking time had expired, the deputy speaker granted him an additional four minutes to conclude his speech. When several ruling party MPs sought the floor, the deputy speaker reiterated that he had already given his ruling.
The House then went into recess for Asr prayers.
After the recess, Opposition Chief Whip Nahid Islam took the floor and sharply criticised Manirul’s remarks.
“Today, the honourable member’s speech crossed the limits of parliamentary norms and constitutional rights. First, he made disparaging remarks about the wife of the deputy leader of the opposition. Whatever personal relationship or history he may have with her, bringing such references into parliament is, in our view, an unforgivable offence,” Nahid said.
“Second, he commented on the attire of our female MPs in a manner that infringed upon their religious freedom and personal liberty.
“In a democratic state, every individual has the right to religious freedom and to choose how they dress. By disregarding those rights, he revealed a deeply prejudiced mindset. His remarks also carried a discriminatory undertone.
“We therefore expect that no member of this parliament will make such remarks again,” Nahid said.
Source: https://www.thedailystar.net/news/the-parliament-watch/parliament/news/uproar-over-salahuddins-statement-ex-shibir-leader-maniruls-remarks-women-mps-attire-4198616
