BNP MP Rumeen blasts at law minister over misogynistic comments

BNP Member of Parliament Rumeen Farhana blasted at Law Minister Anisul Huq for making a misogynistic comment at her in the Parliament yesterday saying that he made a personal attack deprived of logic.

She said when there is no logical argument to be presented, people resort to personal attacks, at the Parliament on Wednesday while discussing the proposed budget allocation for the Election Commission Secretariat for 2022-23 fiscal year.

BNP MP Rumeen Farhana said, during her speech, that the current session should not be called a budget session but a Padma session.

Law Minister Anisul Huq countered her statement by making a commenting on her clothes.

Describing the construction and inauguration of the Padma Bridge as the most significant and historic moment after the liberation war of Bangladesh, the law minister said, "Some people are saying that we are talking excessively about the Padma Bridge."

"So what are we talking about? Shall we talk about her [MP Rumeen Farhana's] clothes? I am not going to do that," he remarked. 

To which Rumeen responded, "A basic logical fallacy of presenting arguments is the ad hominem fallacy which means personal attack."

"He [Anisul Huq] has practiced law for the longest time. For someone so honorable to bring up whether my clothes should be the topic of discussion at the Parliament, is something we don't expect.

"There are other women present here too, including the speaker. When references about my clothes are made, it's absolutely shameful," she said dismissing his comment possibly attributing it to misogyny or gender discrimination.

She further said, "We can always discuss the Padma Bridge. Since there have been designated sessions to discuss it, where we have participated as well, I merely suggested we stick to our points regarding the budget instead of BNP and the conspiracies circling the Padma Bridge construction." 

During his speech prior to Rumeen Farhana's statement, the law minister rehashed some of the events centering the World Bank's withdrawal from funding the Padma Bridge.

Mentioning that Dr Muhammad Yunus and Dr Kamal Hossain were involved in the conspiracies against the Padma Bridge, Anisul Huq said, "The World Bank's 'so-called independent observer' had come in [after which the funding of the Padma Bridge was withdrawn]. 

"There was a talk with the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) at noon. Then they had dinner with the World Bank country representative. The same day the cat came out of the bag," he recalled.  

"The names of those who attended the dinner came out in newspapers as well, namely, Dr Yunus, Dr Kamal Hossain, Manzur Quader of Brac and someone else," he mentioned. 

"The very next day the World Bank announced its withdrawal from the project. So that was the conspiracy to stop the construction of Padma Bridge. No one can deny there are documents and evidence to prove these events."