Budget talks turn tense with "headscarf" comment by Baykal
Güncelleme Tarihi:
During budget talks in the Turkish Parliament yesterday, opposition leader Deniz Baykal commented "Headscarves cover the hair, but not the sins of spouses." In response, the ruling AKP members of the par;liament rose to their feet in protest, some pounding their desks in anger. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan left the General Assembly salon in reaction to Baykal's words.
The budget talks, which had been proceeding in what some observers called a "quiet and tired" manner, became suddenly "tense and charged" following the headscarf statement by Baykal. Despite the fact that the time had come for him to leave the podium, Baykal stayed on to speak, prompting Erdogan to leave the salon in anger. Some of Baykal's words yesterday were also in reference to the popular speculation that Erdogan will be candidate in the upcoming presidential election. The opposition leader lambasted the very idea that Erdogan would think of running for the position of president of Turkey, noting "Someone who tells his own soldiers 'the military is not a place to come and lie down,' who tells his own citizens 'take your mother and get out of here,' who never loved or understood Ataturk, whose attendants kneel before him....this person can never be president."
Going on to list many more reasons why Erdogan should not run for president, Baykal finished with the statement that "Headscarves may cover hair, but not the sins of spouses," thereby bringing the Turkish Parliament, which is composed largely of AKP MPs, to its feet in protest.