Parliament was thrown into disorder on Sunday after remarks made by a ruling party lawmaker regarding the attire of female opposition MPs from Jamaat-e-Islami triggered strong protests from the opposition benches and led to partial expunction of his speech from the official record.
The incident took place during the general discussion on the supplementary budget for the fiscal year 2025-26, when ruling party MP Monirul Haque Chowdhury (Cumilla-6) made a speech that included references to opposition lawmakers. While speaking, he narrated an incident involving Opposition Deputy Leader Abdullah Mohammad Taher from 2001 and also referred to Taher’s wife, drawing laughter in the House.
He later turned his attention to female opposition MPs from Jamaat-e-Islami, congratulating them on becoming lawmakers and acknowledging their educational qualifications and speaking abilities. However, he went on to make remarks that questioned their identity and appearance, which were widely interpreted as comments about their attire.
The remarks immediately provoked protests from opposition MPs, including female members, who stood up in objection, causing brief disruption in parliamentary proceedings.
Deputy Speaker Kaikar Kamal intervened and stated that personal freedom should not be discussed in Parliament. As the situation escalated, Monirul Haque Chowdhury clarified that he had not intended to insult anyone and said he was only recounting a past event. He also expressed regret, adding that if anyone felt offended, he apologised.
The Deputy Speaker later ruled that the portion of the speech related to personal freedom would be removed from the parliamentary record. Opposition MPs welcomed the decision and thanked the Chair.
During later proceedings, Opposition Chief Whip Nahid Islam raised the issue again, stating that the comments violated parliamentary norms and constitutional rights. He accused the MP of mocking the wife of the Opposition Deputy Leader and making inappropriate remarks about female MPs’ attire, describing the conduct as discriminatory.
In response, the Deputy Speaker reiterated that the relevant sections had already been expunged for breaching parliamentary decorum and did not allow further discussion when Water Resources Minister Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie attempted to speak on the matter.
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