Hasnat Abdullah wants car after getting office for constituency visits

Despite earlier discussions about not taking tax-free cars, Member of Parliament for Cumilla-4 constituency, Hasnat Abdullah, has requested a vehicle for travel after learning that MPs will receive offices in upazilas.

He made the demand while speaking during an unscheduled discussion in parliament on Tuesday, April 21. The 18th day of the first session of the 13th National Parliament was presided over by Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed Bir Bikram.

His demand for a vehicle was supported by the Opposition Leader, even though Jamaat-e-Islami's election manifesto had promised not to take tax-free cars.

Following the announcement of office space for MPs in upazilas, Hasnat Abdullah immediately raised the demand for a vehicle for mobility.

Earlier, State Minister for Local Government Mir Shah Alam informed parliament that the Prime Minister has approved a project to furnish a well-equipped office room (with bathroom) on the second floor of each upazila parishad for MPs. He said, "I am standing to give good news to MPs. The Prime Minister has instructed that an office room be constructed for each MP at every upazila parishad. We will start this work very soon."

Hasnat Abdullah said, "I thank all of you from the opposition that we finally have a place to sit. I am not saying this out of shame, but as the second most junior member of this parliament, I am saying this – our UNO has a car, the upazila chairman has a car, but we have to travel by rented cars. We cannot say this out of shame anywhere. Now that you have arranged a place to sit, if you could arrange a car to travel to the people, it would be convenient for us to reach the people."

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed then said in parliament, "I did not want to speak about deprivation after receiving. The day our Prime Minister was elected as Leader of the House, in our parliamentary party meeting, he gave two directives, one of which was that MPs will not take any separate facilities in this new parliament according to public expectations. There is a law under the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs. We will bring an amendment that no member of this great parliament will take a tax-free car. Everyone except the MPs applauded this, but the MPs did not. During this crisis, we have reduced fuel allocation by 30 per cent. For the sake of austerity, loan facilities for government officials have also been curtailed for the time being. We are going with public expectations according to the Prime Minister's directives. MPs are certainly happy to get offices. They will be unhappy if they do not get cars. I am requesting the Prime Minister to arrange a solution for MPs' vehicles through discussion between the government and opposition parties."

At this point, the Opposition Leader stood up. The Speaker said, "The Opposition Leader may speak." Opposition Leader Shafiqur Rahman said, "I also stood up to give thanks today because a member from the opposition raised this demand. I thank the treasury bench for taking cognisance of it and initiating its implementation. But there is one thing – you should never say no to younger ones. You always have to say yes to their demands. Hasnat has said it. I would have been happier if you had said no immediately. I had thought that after such good news, I would distribute sweets from the opposition. But here I have been hindered and could not. I received a shock."

The Speaker then told the Opposition Leader that the Home Minister had said in his final line that they would consider the matter.