Dhaka, March 17 (bdnews24.com)—Parliament's decision to probe alleged financial corruption at its secretariat under former speaker Muhammad Jamiruddin Sircar has been purposely announced "just ahead of the by-election", he said Tuesday.
Sircar, a barrister, is BNP candidate in the Bogra-6 by-election.
"The speaker's decision of ordering a probe before the by-election was made purposely to tarnish my image and dent my popularity," he told reporters in a press briefing at his Uttara residence 'Barrister Bhaban'.
"He has acted unjustly."
Sircar demanded similar probes against all previous Jatiya Sangsad speakers.
"The government must order investigations into all the speaker's activities who served the government since 1972."
"Instituting a probe against me only would be highly discriminatory," he said of the first such instance in Bangladesh.
Speaker Abdul Hamid announced the decision Monday to form a parliamentary committee to investigate charges against Sircar in the face of demands by MPs, mostly of Awami League.
He said the probe body would be formed within two to three days and placed for approval in the House.
Hamid also said he would instruct the Comptroller and Auditor General's office to audit accounts of all speakers.
"But as most of the MPs have talked about the corruption of Muhammad Jamiruddin Sircar by name, the committee will only investigate the allegations against him," said Hamid.
Sircar on Tuesday demanded that the committee must have representatives from all political parties.
The former speaker alleged, "The speaker decided on such a move to enable the Awami League candidate for Bogra-6 to gain a lead ahead of the approaching by-election."
Replying to a query from reporters, Sircar said there had been no graft case filed against him, nor had he been involved in any irregularity.
He claimed that he was not involved in procurement of light fittings and furniture, lift maintenance, or keeping the gardens tended during his tenure.
"All allegations on these counts are false. The works mentioned fall within the purview of the public works ministry."
Replying to a question on medical expenses, he said, "The expenses incurred for my heart surgery was reimbursed on production of bills and vouchers."
"The late speaker Humayun Rashid Chowdhury took Tk 35 lakh from the government exchequer citing his heart surgery, when he had no cardiac operation at all. If he was right, what wrong did I do?"
"Those who raised the allegations did so from personal grudges, as none of the Jatiya Sangsad speakers, and even past Pakistani ones, could ever serve a full term as the speaker. I served two more years (under the caretaker government) after fulfilling my five-year term," said Sircar.
Answering another query on his disputed seat distribution ahead of the current parliament, the former speaker said, "The seat plan I made followed the tradition of the British Parliament."
"Canada and Australia parliaments also allocate parliamentarians' seats in the same manner, where treasury members occupy the right hand seats, the opposition occupies the left hand seats while the speaker sits in the middle."
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