Information Minister and Awami League joint general secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud has said that asking a member of parliament to leave his constituency is an interference in his fundamental right.
He was responding to a question from reporters after speaking as the chief guest at the World Blood Donor Day celebrations organised by Quantum Foundation at the National Press Club in the capital on Tuesday afternoon.
The minister said, "First of all, my question is whether the Election Commission can ask a Member of Parliament for that area, a permanent resident of the area who is a voter in the City Corporation elections, to leave the area. Isn't this an interference with his fundamental rights? Then when the city corporation election will be held in Dhaka city, all the elected members of parliament and ministers from Dhaka will also have to leave Dhaka.”
"I think his fundamental rights have been violated by ordering him to leave the area," he said. Hassan said, "There must be instructions so that he does not participate in any election campaign or election activities. And doing so could lead to other disciplinary measures, but the question is, is it appropriate for a voter who is a Member of Parliament for that area to leave his or her home?” he said
The minister said, "We have to leave the area. It is nowhere in the world. MPs will not be able to campaign - not in India, not in Pakistan, not in England, not in Continental Europe, not in Australia, not in Japan, not anywhere. But that law is also discriminatory.”
The minister said, "I saw a lot of criticism in the papers today. What needs to be discussed here needs to be discussed first. No instructions were ever given to leave the area. My home is Chittagong, I was a minister and I was in Chittagong city at the time of Chittagong City Corporation election, I did not participate in any election campaign, I left home once or twice without protocol.”
Earlier, in a speech on the occasion of World Blood Donor Day, the minister congratulated the Quantum Foundation for its blood donation and philanthropic work. He said that after the independence of the country, the first voluntary blood donation program was started on June 10, 1972 under the patronage of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. After Bangabandhu's personal physician, the late National Professor Dr. Nurul Islam himself started the program with blood.
“We want to transform Bangladesh into a humane state not only through infrastructural or material development, we want to transform Bangladesh into a humane state,” said the minister. In order to establish a humane state, it is necessary to develop humanity. Those who show humanity, do humane work should be appreciated.
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Professor and Quantum Foundation Advisor Dr Samanta Lal Sen, Chief Coordinator, National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, Sheikh Hasina presided over by Nizamuddin Ahmed as the special guest and Motivation M., Director, Quantum Foundation. Rezaul Hasan spoke on the occasion. The Information Minister handed over the Platinum Medal to journalist Saiful Islam Dilal for his special contribution in blood donation.