Row breaks out in JS over ruling party MP's jibe at Ershad

The atmosphere in Parliament became very heated for some time over an apparently derogatory remark by a ruling party MP on Jatiya Party founder and ex-president, late HM Ershad.

Ruling party MP from Lalmonirhat Motahar Hossain, while speaking at the thanksgiving motion on President's speech, claimed that Ershad lost his security money in the 5 January 2014 election against him.

His comments created anarchy in the House for some time.

Jatiya Party MP Firoz Rashid stood and started to speak without the microphone and protested what he called the 'derogatory remark' from the ruling party MP.

At one stage, Deputy Speaker Shamshul Huq Tuku, who was in the chair, asked him to sit down and wait to be given the floor.

But Rashid did not stop and at that time shouting from different directions was heard in the House.

Motahar, who still had the mic, asked how Rashid expects to speak while another MP is speaking.

Deputy Speaker at that time turned off all microphones, and gave the floor to Firoz Rashid for one minute.

The Jatiya Party MP accused Motahar of lying.

"His (Motahar Hossain) speech should be expunged and he should seek apology," he said.

Opposition Chief Whip Mashiur Rahman Ranga also threatened to leave the House, shouting without the mic.

Deputy Speaker asked him to sit down and speak later on point of order. But Ranga did not pay heed to him and continued shouting.

At that stage, deputy speaker assured him that if there is anything objectionable it will be expunged.

He also asked Motahar to stick to the agenda and gave the microphone back to him.

At this point, speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury was seen to enter the House hurriedly and taking her seat.

She asked for calm and all to sit down.

"There is a decorum in the House, now discussion on the President's speech is going on, one person is speaking, if there are any objectionable words in that speech you can raise that and it will be expunged after scrutiny. For that you have to wait for sometime," she said.

She gave the floor to Motahar Hossain, and now he claimed that he did not say anything untrue.

Standing on point of order, Firoz Rashid said that it is indecent to say anything derogatory against a dead person.

"Mr Motahar should know that Mr Ershad never suffered defeat in the land of Rangpur," he said.

He also said that Ershad did not participate in the 2014 election.

"There is no one in Rangpur who can inflict a defeat on Ershad in Rangpur where he loses his security money, in any election. There should be a limit of audacity, we demand full expunge of this speech, otherwise he will face problems in the land of Rangpur," he said.

In the controversial 2014 election, Motahar got 189,814 votes in Lalmonirhat-1 constituency while Ershad got 5,381 votes. Lalmonirhat is in Rangpur division.