Hasnat hits back at critics with resignation challenge

National Citizen Party (NCP) lawmaker Hasnat Abdullah on Thursday challenged his political opponents to prove any instance of corruption against him, pledging to resign from Parliament if even a single taka of wrongdoing is established.

He made the remarks while delivering a personal explanation on the floor of the Jatiya Sangsad in response to allegations raised by fellow lawmakers during budget discussions.

"All intelligence agencies are now under your control. DGFI, NSI, police and the military are under your authority. I request that instead of making baseless allegations, you conduct a proper investigation. If you can prove even one taka of corruption or any unlawful gain against me, I will resign from this Parliament," he said.

His comments came after remarks made earlier in the day by BNP lawmaker Akhtaruzzaman of Mymensingh-10, who alleged that many individuals associated with the spirit of the July uprising had rapidly accumulated wealth.

Responding before the Maghrib recess, Hasnat rejected the allegation and defended his integrity, insisting that any accusation should be supported by evidence.

The exchange followed an earlier debate over budget allocations. During the budget discussion, Hasnat, MP for Cumilla-4, expressed concern that criticism of government ministers could result in reduced allocations for his constituency.

He clarified on Thursday that his remarks had been misunderstood.

"I never said that I should not be deprived of allocations," he told Parliament. "What I said was that the people of my constituency should not be deprived because of my statements."

His clarification came after BNP lawmaker Saeed Al Noman of Chattogram-10 criticised the earlier remarks, arguing that budget allocations are intended for the welfare of constituents rather than individual lawmakers.

The debate added to growing exchanges between treasury and opposition benches during discussions on the proposed national budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year.

TZ