Opposition Leader Shafiqur Rahman today said the ruling party “probably thinks we are children”, alleging breach of commitments and a growing trust deficit over the passage of bills in parliament.

He made the remarks at a briefing after the opposition staged a walkout from the Jatiya Sangsad around 8:30pm.

Shafiqur, also the Jamaat-e-Islami ameer, accused the government of attempting to mislead the opposition through “tactics”.

“If you wave an orange in front of a child, it cannot tell whether it is real or plastic and runs towards it. Perhaps they think we are those children,” he said.

Opposition Chief Whip Nahid Islam, speaking at the briefing, said the opposition had tried to remain but was forced to walk out due to the day’s developments.

He alleged that the government had gone back on prior understandings regarding several key ordinances that were supposed to be converted into laws.

According to him, a special committee had reached a consensus on 98 ordinances that were to be passed without objection, while those with dissenting opinions were to be discussed separately.

“However, just half an hour before the passage of the July Uprising Memorial Museum Bill, an amendment was introduced and passed without informing us,” Nahid said.

He also alleged that a number of important ordinances were allowed to lapse without discussion, despite earlier assurances that deliberations would continue even if the session ran until midnight.

Shafiqur said a total of 133 ordinances issued by the interim government had been placed before parliament and reviewed by a special committee comprising members from both treasury and opposition benches.

He, however, alleged that the committee’s report was finalised without proper consultation with opposition members, marking the beginning of a “breach of trust”.

“It should have been finalised collectively, or through representatives from all sides,” he said.

He further said despite assurances by the executive advisory committee, chaired by the speaker, that all ordinances would be discussed, many were ultimately not brought to the floor.

He said among the key issues that were ignored were proposed laws related to the Anti-Corruption Commission, police reforms, enforced disappearances, and the Public Service Commission.

Shafiqur also criticised last-minute amendments to the museum bill, saying the opposition was neither informed nor given adequate time to review them.

“We were handed stacks of documents just an hour before the session. How can we form an opinion on something we have neither seen nor discussed?” he asked.

The two opposition leaders said the walkout was staged in protest of repeated breaches of commitments and procedural irregularities in parliament, and vowed to continue their fight for people’s rights.