Opposition stages walkout over passage of several bills

The opposition in Parliament staged a walkout on Thursday accusing the ruling party of passing several ‘anti-people’ bills, ignoring their logical objections.

The opposition lawmakers, led by Opposition Leader Dr Shafiqur Rahman, left the House at around 6 pm after the passage of 24 bills.

Among the bills, the opposition raised objections about several bills including the National Human Rights Commission (Repeal and Re-introduction) Bill, 2026 and the Supreme Court Secretariat (Repeal) Bill, 2026 and the Supreme Court Judges Appointment (Repeal) Bill, 2026.

After completion of the passage of bills, Opposition Leader Dr Shafiqur Rahman took the floor on point of order and said it is unfortunate that several bills were passed despite having objections from the opposition.

"It is unfortunate but true that we do not want to take responsibility for the number of anti-people bills that were passed today despite the logical obstacles of the opposition party. That is why we are now walking out of Parliament," he said.

Responding to the opposition’s move, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed took the floor and said the opposition had actively participated in all stages of the legislative process.

“I stood to thank them. They participated in the first reading, second reading, and third reading of the bills. Some even raised their hands in support. After taking part in the entire process, this walkout doesn’t make any sense,” he said.

The minister thanked the opposition members for their participation and hoped that they would rejoin the session after the Maghrib prayers.