A heated exchange unfolded in Parliament on Thursday between Leader of the Opposition Dr Shafiqur Rahman and Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed over statements made during Wednesday’s session.

The confrontation began during a “Point of Order” after the question-and-answer session, when Dr. Shafiqur raised the issue in a sarcastic tone, prompting a strong response from the Home Minister.

“Yesterday, after we left the House, the Honorable Home Minister claimed I had spoken untruths. Truly, he has extraordinary skill; presenting truth as falsehood and falsehood as truth. I stand today to thank him for that,” Dr. Shafiqur said.

Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed intervened, reminding members that points of order should focus on current matters rather than past proceedings.

“This matter was settled yesterday. There is no need to raise it anew,” he said, advising the Home Minister not to respond.

The Speaker also noted that a ‘Right of Reply’ would have been granted if the Opposition Leader had been present during the original remarks.

Despite this, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed took the floor to protest Dr. Rahman’s choice of words.

“The Leader of the Opposition used two unparliamentary words; specifically the word ‘lie.’ Had he said ‘untruth,’ I would not have objected. I request that the word ‘lie’ be expunged from the record,” the Minister stated.

Ahmed defended his earlier stance, saying the Opposition’s claim was factually incorrect.

He explained that the Speaker had accepted a private member’s resolution under Rule 62 after the Opposition had staged a walkout, which, in his view, made Dr. Rahman’s statement untrue.

Dr. Shafiqur countered, arguing that the confusion arose because the same proposal had been brought forward by an independent MP under a different name.

“The proposal remained the same; only the name changed. I spoke based on the earlier version I knew. I provided no misinformation,” he said.

Although the Home Minister formally requested that the word ‘lie’ be expunged, the Speaker did not issue an immediate ruling.

Parliamentary tradition in Bangladesh dictates that “untruth” is used in place of “lie,” a practice upheld in past rulings.

The underlying dispute traces back to March 29, when Dr. Shafiqur moved an adjournment motion concerning a meeting of the Constitution Reform Council.

Subsequently, independent MP Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Iqbal moved another motion regarding the implementation of the ‘July National Charter.’

When these motions remained pending, the Speaker accepted a fresh adjournment motion on Wednesday from Treasury Bench MP Zainul Abdin Farroque on the same Charter.

The Opposition staged a walkout, alleging their proposals were being side-lined.

Discussion on the newly accepted motion is scheduled for next Sunday.