Jatiya Sangsad witnessed a tense and politically charged debate on Wednesday as treasury bench members alleged that Jamaat-e-Islami bore historical responsibility for opposing the birth of Bangladesh during the 1971 War of Liberation and that the opposition was attempting to turn the July uprising into a political business.

During the discussion on the motion of thanks to the president’s address, lawmakers from the treasury bench said that the government had so far exercised restraint and politeness in the national interest, but warned that continued provocation from the opposition could erode that restraint and lead to stronger political responses.

Opposition members, meanwhile, raised questions over political identity, historical claims, governance failures and party alignments, while also alleging that the legacy of the July Movement was being appropriated by vested interests.

Health and family welfare minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain said that the government was acting with restraint and politeness in the broader national interest, but warned against excessive provocation by opposition quarters.

He cautioned that if ‘excessive behaviour’ continued, it would become difficult to remain silent.

In such circumstances, he said, remarks such as ‘you are Razakar, you are Al-Shams, you are Al-Badr’ could come to mind, referring to groups associated with wartime collaboration in 1971.

He said that those who were now attempting to lecture on democracy or link the events of 1971 with those of 2024 were crossing limits, and reiterated that the government had so far responded with patience and restraint for the sake of national interest.

Recalling a past incident, the minister said that he, in 2004, visited Pakistan, where he attended a conference alongside a Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker.

He claimed that, upon being identified as a freedom fighter, he had faced humiliation and disrespect, an experience he said he could not forget.

The minister said that Bangladesh was built through the sacrifices of freedom fighters and said that there should be unity in building the country.

However, he said that any form of reconciliation for development must not come at the cost of ideology, stating that compromise for development should not mean compromise on principles.

Earlier, Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker and party nayeb-e-amir ATM Azharul Islam questioned how the Bangladesh Nationalist Party can claim to be a party of the War of Liberation, noting that it was founded in 1978, seven years after the 1971 War of Liberation.

He said that discussions often portray the BNP as a pro-liberation force, but argued that this claim is inconsistent with historical timelines.

He said that it was possible to say that there are freedom fighters within the BNP, just as there are within Jamaat-e-Islami.

The lawmaker alleged that a woman leader linked to the Awami League in Gopalganj’s Kashiani upazila had been nominated from the BNP for a reserved women’s seat in Jatiya Sangsad.

He questioned the rationale behind the decision, asking whether it reflected political weakness or an attempt to appease certain groups for political advantage.

Information minister Zahir Uddin Swapon said that patterns of political behaviour are rooted in a party’s history and tradition.

He said that it would not be surprising if the defeated Awami League returned to Jatiya Sangsad in the future and claimed that the events of the July 24 killings should not be discussed, adding that the ‘stain of blood’ on its hands could not be erased.

He said that, similarly, leaders of the 11-party alliance, including Jamaat-e-Islami and its allies, must remember that they had opposed the 1971 War of Liberation and supported undivided Pakistan.

The information minister said that some of them had, at various times, expressed support for the establishment of Sharia law.

Until an acceptable position is taken on the issue of the 1971 genocide, the debate concerning Jamaat-e-Islami will continue, he said.

The minister said that the tensions seen in the parliament were not merely a matter of current political behaviour, but reflected a deeper ideological crisis.

When politics is conducted through religion, when the spirit of independence is treated as a commodity, and when movements such as the July uprising are turned into political business, such behavioural and political conflicts among parties and their leaders become inevitable, he observed.

State minister for expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment Nurul Islam alleged that some vested interest groups were attempting to appropriate the July movement in a manner similar to the narrative surrounding the 1971 War of Liberation.

He said that many young people might not fully understand the sacrifices and contributions behind the struggle, adding that a large number of people had been involved in it.

Referring to debates over the July Charter, the BNP-backed lawmaker of Gano Odhikar Parishad said that the document clearly stated that issues on which political parties could not reach consensus would be taken to the public, and that the people would decide through a mandate.

The state minister urged the opposition parties not to engage in unnecessary political confrontation, and instead to provide constructive criticism and positive suggestions to support the government over the next five years.

In a separate statement, state minister Farzana Sharmin expressed concern over offensive remarks made recently about female members of parliament outside Jatiya Sangsad.

She said that she was surprised that neither opposition leaders nor members of the National Citizen Party had issued a formal condemnation. She added that such remarks were not only disrespectful to individual lawmakers but also an insult to women across the country.

Referring to broader social behaviour, she said that religion should be upheld with dignity rather than misused for personal or political gains, warning against ‘religion-based exploitation’.

She linked travelling vendors’ selling goods door-to-door to attempts to commercialise political narratives.

She claimed that one political group had previously exploited the spirit of 1971 and was now attempting to do the same with the July movement.

She stressed that national movements and ideals should be preserved rather than traded for political advantage, adding, ‘Let us focus on the spirit, not on the credit.’

Sirajganj-4 lawmaker Md Rafiqul Islam Khan of Jamaat said that the treasury bench did not see problems in the fuel crisis, commodity price hike and fragile law and order situation.

‘But, they only see the opposition party (Jamaat) as their only troublemaker,’ he said, adding that the BNP did not consider Jamaat as a trouble while having support in forming the government in 2001.