Staff Reporter:
The opposition in Parliament staged a walkout on Wednesday accusing the government of ‘undervalu-ing’ their proposal to convene a Constitution Reform Council and attempting to override it with a coun-ter initiative.
Led by Opposition Leader Dr. Shafiqur Rahman, the lawmakers exited the House during a Point of Or-der after expressing frustration over the lack of a definitive ruling from the Speaker on their previously discussed adjournment motion.
This marks the second walkout by the opposition within the first six working days of the 13th Parlia-ment’s maiden session.
Previously, they walked out on February 12 following the President’s speech.
The dispute stems from an adjournment motion moved on Tuesday regarding the failure to convene the Constitution Reform Council.
During that session, the government proposed forming an all-party special parliamentary committee to oversee constitutional amendments.
The opposition rejected this saying any such committee must ensure equal representation from both the treasury and opposition benches to be ‘meaningful.’
Dr. Shafiqur Rahman said the issue pertains to ‘national aspirations’ and the mandate of 70 percent of the population expressed through a referendum.
“We expected a remedy through the Speaker, but we remain unclear on whether any decision was reached. We feel the people’s mandate is being ignored,” he said.
Responding to the opposition leader, Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad said admitting the adjournment mo-tion was itself a gesture of ‘generosity’ and democratic practice.
The Speaker has the sole discretion to admit or reject such motions.
“The opposition was given ample time—two hours—to speak on a matter that technically violated the rules of procedure, the Minister remarked.
The session continued with the treasury benches after the opposition’s departure.
