Gaibandha lawmaker Eunus demands Eid bonus for MPs

Ruling Awami League MP Md Eunus Ali Sarkar has demanded Eid bonus for the lawmakers.

At a general discussion on the 2016-17 budget in Parliament on Thursday, the MP from Gaibandha-3 seat vented his anger over the issue.

“We don’t get any bonus. We come here after completing many levels. We don’t even get a pension,” he said.

“Why should we be behind (the others)?” the MP asked.

He also expressed his ire over the criticism of the lawmakers.

“It is said MPs are thieves...they steal money from TR and KaBiKha programmes. We have many here who wear a Tk 120 lungi,” he said.

In May, Parliament passed a bill into law to double honorarium for its members. They do not get festival allowance because they get the honorarium.

Sarkar also criticised Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid for ‘his behaviour’.

“The education minister treats us as if he were a headmaster and we were his students,” he said.

“Now it is being said that we won’t be able to appoint night guards and officials (in educational institutions),” he said referring to the education ministry’s decision to recruit teachers of private schools and colleges through Non-Government Teachers' Registration and Certification Authority (NTRCA) instead of the institutions themselves.

MP Motahar Hossain from Lalmonirhat expressed ‘dissatisfaction’ over the Supreme Court verdict banning MPs from heading managing committees of schools and colleges in their localities.

“Now it is being said that MPs won’t be able to become heads of educational institution committees. But I think no-one other than a representative of the people can understand the issues better,” he said.

On Tuesday, Parliament Deputy Speaker Fazle Rabbi Miah said the court ‘crossed the limit to some extent’ in its verdict on MPs heading managing committees of schools and colleges.