‘All AL leaders except Sheikh Hasina can be bought’

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday made a frustrating comment about her party, saying all Awami League leaders, except her, can be bought.

She made the comment while leaving parliament after yesterday’s sitting which ended around 8:45pm. The House adopted the constitutional amendment bill 2014 that would make the judiciary accountable to the legislature.

Just after the deputy speaker Fazle Miah adjourned the House until Monday, Hasan Mahmud, Dabirul Islam, Abdul Matin Khasru and Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu approached the prime minister and raised the issue of the judges’ removal bill. Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, Law Minister Anisul Huq and Chief Whip ASM Feroz also joined them.

They referred to the opposition of the 16th constitutional amendment bill by Dr Kamal Hossain and Barrister Amir-Ul-Islam, an Awami League-backed lawyer. The MPs were trying to speculate whether the bill could trigger any difficulty for the party and the government.

“All Awami League leaders can be bought except Sheikh Hasina and that is the problem,” the premier told them and left the House.

Hasina shouts at whip for breaking rule

Around 10 minutes before, the prime minister yelled at Whip Atiur Rahman Atik who sat in the chair of Railway Minister Mazibul Haque violating the Rules of Procedure. She also ordered Atik to take his own seat in the third row.

“Why do you always sit here? Go to your seat,” Hasina told the whip and he immediately returned to his seat.

The Rules of Procedure strictly prohibits the parliamentarians from taking any other seat except their own while the whips are supposed to implement the rules.

The MPs are frequently seen sitting in chairs not designated for them, particularly to be in the focus of TV cameras. Most of the MPs seat themselves beside lawmakers who speak.

Atik sat in Mazibul Haque’s chair to discuss something with the information minister, who was also seated in Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali’s chair.