Chief whip denies any ‘friendly game’ in parliament

He says the Opposition should stand with the government on “genuine issues”

Chief Whip Md Nurul Islam Moni has dismissed suggestions that the government and the Opposition are engaged in a "friendly game" in the budget session of Bangladesh's 13th Parliament.

"There is no game here, no friendly game," he said.

He made the remarks on Thursday during the question-and-answer session of a press conference at the LD Hall of the parliament building on the budget session.

A journalist referred to comments made the previous day by the Leader of the Opposition about the government and opposition moving forward together.

The journalist also noted that a ruling party lawmaker, during the budget debate, had compared the situation to a "friendly match" between football stars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, warning that if such a game continued in parliament, the field would eventually become empty.

Asked whether any "friendly game" was taking place in parliament, the chief whip replied:

"Ronaldo and Messi play football and compete in the World Cup. There is no game in Bangladesh's Parliament."

He added that if anyone had made such a comparison, it reflected that individual's personal opinion.

Moni said the government wants an opposition that cooperates on reasonable issues while also criticising the government when necessary.

"If something is genuine, let them stand beside us. If it is not genuine, let them stand against us and criticise us so that we can correct our mistakes."

He argued that in a democratic system, the opposition's role is not to oppose everything the government does because today's opposition could become tomorrow's government.

"We want a smooth democracy. The opposition should cooperate where cooperation is needed and criticise where criticism is necessary."

Throughout most of the press conference, the chief whip portrayed the cooperation between the government and the opposition during the budget session as a positive development. During the questions and answers session, however, he faced questions on parliamentary effectiveness, delays in distributing bills, implementation of the July Charter, child deaths from measles, cross-border "push-ins," the July Mass Uprising Memorial Museum, and the formation of parliamentary committees.

Moni claimed that the Opposition was given more speaking time than originally allocated during the budget session.

He said although the Opposition had been allocated 26 percent of the total time, it actually spoke for nearly 31 percent.

"We listened to every leader and allowed them to speak as they wished," he said, adding that some opposition leaders spoke for 30 to 35 minutes.

The chief whip noted that budget sessions normally conclude with the ruling party moving a guillotine motion to pass outstanding demands for grants after a fixed time.

This year, however, he claimed that the Leader of the Opposition personally requested the speaker to proceed to the guillotine after the discussion.

According to Moni, this was the first time in Bangladesh's parliamentary history that such a request had come from an opposition leader.

He also said the government had taken the opposition's proposals seriously. As an example, he said that after the Opposition leader raised a local issue in parliament, the prime minister sent the state minister for local government to the area that same evening.

He further said that the prime minister had considered a proposal from the opposition leader to reduce taxes on a particular product.

"The government and the opposition both want to build the country together," he said, adding that both sides are committed to protecting independence, sovereignty, and democracy.

Moni also claimed that prices had not increased either before the budget announcement or after its passage. He said taxes had not been increased on 63 essential commodities, including food items, while taxes on some products had actually been reduced.

He argued that prices of goods on which taxes had been cut should also decrease.

Quoting the prime minister, he described the 2026-27 budget as a "people-friendly budget”.

The chief whip said he had asked the prime minister how the government would function if taxes were reduced across the board. According to him, she replied that there would be no financial shortage if the annual illicit outflow of US$16 billion could be stopped.

He said the government had inherited an "extremely broken economy”.

At the beginning of the press conference, Moni described the session as "the first budget session of the Tarique Rahman government" and noted that parliament had debated the proposed budget of Tk 9.38 trillion from both supporting and opposing perspectives.

He claimed that, unlike previous years, there had been no rallies or protests against the budget and that market prices remained stable both before and after its approval.

Accusing previous governments of engaging in "mega corruption" through mega projects, he said the current government's priorities include the Padma Barrage, Teesta Barrage, planting 2.5 billion trees, excavating 20,000km of canals, agricultural support programmes, and family card-based social protection schemes.

He repeated that preventing the annual US$16 billion capital flight would eliminate the government's financial difficulties.

Moni also claimed that the country had experienced no widespread public hardship over the past four months and that people could now speak freely over the phone.

Referring to statements made by a neighbouring country, he urged journalists to "take up their pens," saying that protecting democracy, independence, and sovereignty is everyone's responsibility.

He said the banking sector had been severely weakened, the value of the US dollar had surged, and some banks could not honour cheques despite these challenges.

"The absence of widespread suffering is the result of [Tarique's] hard work," he said.

He outlined government plans to introduce 5 million family cards and 4 million agricultural cards. Family cards, he said, would be issued in women's names, with recipients receiving Tk 2,500 per month.

The chief whip also criticised the media, saying negative news receives far more attention than positive developments and that much of the information circulating on YouTube and Facebook is false.

"Nine out of ten newspaper stories are negative," he remarked.

He urged mainstream media to give greater coverage to positive developments, citing a health programme launched during the presidency of HM Ershad as an example of a good initiative that had failed because of negative publicity.

Discussing the parliamentary dinner traditionally held during the budget session, Moni said there had initially been a proposal to cancel it but it was ultimately retained as part of parliamentary tradition. However, the prime minister instructed that costs be reduced.

He claimed the meal cost had been cut from Tk 900 to Tk 150 per person, reflecting the government's commitment to avoiding waste, especially in light of the country's economic situation and recent child deaths from measles.

"Not a single taka should be wasted," he said, describing this as the prime minister's guiding principle.

Addressing questions about implementation of the July Charter and constitutional amendments, Moni said the Constitution contains 115 articles, while the July Charter includes about 30 provisions whose placement within the Constitution requires careful consideration.

He distinguished constitutional reform from broader reforms but acknowledged that constitutional amendments would ultimately be necessary.

He said discussions on reforms could take place outside parliament among the government, opposition, and other political parties, while constitutional amendments would be debated within parliament.

Referring to recent remarks by the Prime Minister, he said the government and opposition were "not very far apart" on these issues.

On child deaths from measles, Moni said the government is treating the issue seriously.

He blamed both the interim government and the previous administration for failing to procure measles vaccines over the past two years, saying this had led to the current crisis.

He noted that the health minister had already made a statement in parliament, adding that the country now has sufficient vaccine supplies and that vaccination campaigns are underway, although the effects of previous infections are still emerging.

Regarding allegations that the opposition had been asked to withdraw its proposal for a parliamentary discussion on cross-border "push-ins," Moni denied the claim.

"No request for withdrawal was made," he said.

He described the issue as a national concern, saying Bangladesh does not want people from other countries entering its territory unlawfully.

He added that Bangladesh seeks to maintain relations with neighbouring countries based on dignity and mutual understanding, and reiterated that Bangladesh's territory would not be used against any other country.

He also said Bangladesh takes note whenever neighbouring countries make strong statements.

Speaking about the young people involved in the July movement, Moni described Bangladesh's younger generation as courageous, resilient, and patriotic.

Responding to complaints that lawmakers receive draft legislation too late, he acknowledged that the new government had inherited 133 ordinances, making it difficult to manage everything initially.

"We couldn't do it at first. Now we can, and we are doing it," he said.

He admitted that three or four bills introduced during the current session had not been circulated on time but argued that members would still have adequate time to read and analyse them before parliament reconvenes on Jul 7.

He assured that future bills would be distributed on time.

Asked whether a ruling party MP from Cumilla had stayed away from parliament for two weeks after allegedly being humiliated, Moni said he had no information about the matter.

"If someone provides the information, we will investigate it," he said, adding that no member -- whether from the government or the Opposition -- should feel humiliated.

Regarding the July Museum, Moni said construction is ongoing.

"A museum is not built in a single day," he said, adding, "A museum has a birth, but it does not die."

He said the museum would gradually incorporate additional materials to preserve the memory of the July movement and would serve as a place where people could learn about history.

The chief whip also touched on the prime minister's official residence, claiming that Bangladesh is the only country whose prime minister does not have an official residence.

However, he clarified that there had been no formal discussion about either the museum or a prime ministerial residence and that he was merely raising the issue through the media.

Responding to questions about delays in forming parliamentary committees, Moni said parliamentary rules require the committees to be established by the third session.

He noted that only one session had concluded and the second was under way, meaning the deadline had not yet passed.

"All parliamentary committees will be formed before the third session ends," he said.