Opposition walks out as President begins address in JS

Tension marked the opening of the first session of the Jatiya Sangsad on Thursday as opposition lawmakers staged a dramatic walkout moments after President Mohammed Shahabuddin began delivering his constitutionally mandated presidential address.

As the president rose to speak, opposition leaders started creating a ruckus inside the House, shouting slogans and protesting from their seats.

Lawmakers belonging to the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami–led alliance also displayed placards inside the parliament chamber, drawing sharp reactions from treasury bench members.

The situation quickly escalated, forcing parliamentary proceedings into disorder within minutes of the president’s speech.

Amid the uproar, opposition MPs walked out of the session without listening to the president’s address, in what observers described as an early sign of confrontation in the new parliament.

The presidential address traditionally outlines the government’s policy priorities and legislative agenda at the start of a new parliamentary session.

However, Thursday’s dramatic protest overshadowed the beginning of the sitting, highlighting the deep political divisions inside the House as the new parliamentary term gets underway.