The main opposition deputies walked out of the House for 10 minutes when the treasury bench members started giving speech. Referring to the rules of procedure, the AL lawmakers said there was no scope for countering a point of order.

The House, however, witnessed a half an hour unscheduled debate on the grenade attacks initiated by the opposition members on point of order. After the walkout, treasury bench members took part in the discussion and rejected the opposition demand.

The AL demanded a fresh discussion on the grenade attacks and urged the speaker to allow its members, who were injured in the deadly incident, to speak.

The AL lawmakers also demanded expunction of the proceedings of the discussion on the attack that took place in the last session in their absence and formation of a parliamentary body to probe the attack that killed 21 people.

Terming the opposition demand untimely, the treasury bench members said there was no scope for holding a fresh discussion on the August 21 incident as the House has already discussed the issue.

The ruling BNP members however urged the speaker to expunge yesterday's speeches of the AL members on point of order and said the opposition members have delivered 'unparliamentary' speeches in the House.

As soon as the AL lawmakers completed their speeches, the BNP lawmakers demanded floor to counter the opposition. Speaker Jamir Uddin Sircar at first declined to allow them to speak on the matter. "I have just heard them (opposition)," the speaker said repeatedly in the wake of demand of the BNP lawmakers.

But the Chair allowed them when LGRD and Co-operatives Minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan on behalf of the treasury bench sought his permission to speak on the matter.

The AL lawmakers protested the minister's appeal and staged a walkout when the speaker allowed the ruling party to counter the opposition point of order.

Mahi B Chowdhury, the lone lawmaker of Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh, also walked out of the House as the speaker did not give him floor on a point of order.

THE DEBATE
Initiating the unscheduled discussion on a point of order, AL lawmaker Mohammad Nasim said, "We the Awami League lawmakers, who were injured in the attack (on AL rally), want to speak about the grisly incident."

Suranjit Sengupta read out a resolution taken in the British Parliament condemning the attack on an AL rally on Bangabandhu Avenue and urged the House to take such a resolution after a discussion.

Abdur Razzak said the judicial enquiry commission formed by the government to probe the grenade attack blamed a foreign country for the attack. He asked the government to make the probe report public and name the country.

Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim criticised the speaker for not allowing a discussion on the grenade attacks in the last session adjourning the House business. He referred to a discussion in the British Parliament held after the death of 300 sheep adjourning all other business. "Are our lives any less important than some sheep?"

About the British Parliament's resolution on grenade attacks, Water Resources Minister Hafiz Uddin Ahmed said, "Awami League has appointed lobbyists in the British Parliament and European Union to launch a campaign against Bangladesh."

KM Obaidur Rahman referring to the last session's discussion on the grenade attack said when the discussion was held the opposition members demonstrated in front of the speaker's podium like "a guerrilla group."

State Minister for Youth and Sports Fazlur Rahman said the Awami League was out to create chaos. "This is the character and tradition of Awami League."