Budget discussion adjourned for want of speakers

Deputy Speaker Fazle Rabbi Miah was forced to adjourn the parliament sitting today for want of speakers on the proposed budget for 2016-17 fiscal year.

On the very first day of the general discussion on the proposed budget, today’s sitting ended two hours after the day's business started with the Deputy Speaker in the chair.

Adjourning the session till 10:30 am tomorrow, Fazle Rabbi Miah said at 12:15pm: "I'm informing with a great sorrow that no name from the opposition MPs was submitted for joining the discussion today. Many ruling party MPs are present in the House, but not willing to deliver speech as well. So, I’m compelled to adjourn the session."

Pointing at the lawmakers, the Deputy Speaker also said a total of 45 hours were fixed for the general discussion on the proposed budget. "If you want to join it at the end of the discussion, I think that it won’t be possible to allocate much time as per your desire (to make speech on the proposed budget)."

He also said some 10 hours are allocated for opposition lawmakers, while the rest of the time is for ruling party MPs and independent lawmakers, he added.

As per rules, ruling party and opposition party whips submitted the names of participants to the Speaker. The whips also fixed the time for the participants. Following the list, the Speaker asked the MPs to make their statements.

Four Awami League MPs and an independent MP took part in the discussion on the very first day. They are: Prof Ali Ashraf (Comilla-7), Md Israfil Alam (Naogaon-6), Panchanan Biswas (Khulna-1) and Abu Sayeed Al Mahmood Swapon (Jaipurhat-2), while the independent MP is Tahjib Alam Siddique (Jhenidah-2).