11-party to take to streets if Constitution Reform Council session not convened

The 11-party electoral alliance has demanded that the BNP government convene a session of the Constitution Reform Council.

They have given the government time until tomorrow, Sunday, to do so.

Hamidur Rahman Azad, assistant secretary general of Jamaat-e-Islami and coordinator of the 11-party electoral alliance, said that if swift steps are not taken to implement the July Charter, the alliance will be compelled to launch street protests with the support of the public.

The top leaders of the alliance will soon meet to announce protest programmes.

He made these remarks at a press briefing today, Saturday afternoon, following a meeting of the 11-party electoral alliance.

Earlier, at 11:00am, an emergency meeting of the alliance’s liaison committee was held at the central office of Jamaat-e-Islami.

At the press briefing, Hamidur Rahman Azad said that if by tomorrow, Sunday, the government fails to convene—or take steps to convene—the Constitution Reform Council in accordance with the July Charter, it will not be forgiven by the nation. The government, including the leader of the House, will have to take responsibility for it.

The Jamaat leader further said that this time the election did not reflect the people’s voting rights. Although there was less violence during the election, it has already become evident that the election did not fulfil the public’s aspirations. Nevertheless, in the greater interest of the nation, the 11-party alliance accepted the election results.

Mentioning that 70 per cent of voters supported “Yes” in the referendum held to implement the July Charter, Hamidur Rahman Azad said that a vote on implementing the July Charter also meant a vote to form the Constitution Reform Council. The two votes were held simultaneously, their results were announced together, and a gazette notification was issued. Since the proposal was passed through the people’s vote, it is now the government’s responsibility to implement it.

The alliance coordinator said that since two votes were held on the same day, both corresponding sessions should be convened. However, only the session of the National Parliament has been called. Although BNP members of parliament took their oaths following a party decision, they did not take the oath for the Reform Council. This indicates that after forming the government, the BNP has taken a U-turn from its previous stance and moved to a completely opposite position. Through this, the nation has been deceived and betrayed, and those who voted “Yes” in the referendum have been insulted.

Referring to the appointment of administrators in six city corporations, Hamidur Rahman Azad said the 11-party alliance has protested the move. It has raised questions about whether this is another attempt at election engineering. According to the constitution, representatives at all levels should be elected by the people, but appointing administrators effectively delays elections and creates a new trap for manipulating the electoral process. These issues have raised concerns among the public, and the government should withdraw the appointments.

The Jamaat leader also said that sweeping politicisation and administrative reshuffles are taking place. Officials are being withdrawn if they do not comply with party decisions. These practices must stop, as they undermine professionalism. The process of placing individuals in various positions to implement party decisions—something seen in the past—has already begun again, he added, and it must be halted.

Responding to a question at the press briefing, Hamidur Rahman Azad said a proposal has been made to hold a meeting of the top leaders of the 11 parties on 28 March to outline the protest movement. If finalised, that meeting will formulate the roadmap for future protests.

Answering another question, he said that if reforms are implemented selectively, the core reforms of the state will not be achieved. Reforms based on preference will not be accepted by the people, because the public has already voted “Yes” in the referendum supporting the order to implement the July Charter.

Asked about the controversy surrounding the President’s speech during the parliamentary session, Hamidur Rahman Azad said that after the election of the new Speaker, the agenda for discussion stated that no associate of the autocratic regime should be allowed to speak in parliament. However, that directive was not followed. The opposition carried out its role in accordance with parliamentary norms. While the BNP claimed that the President had been insulted during the incident, the opposition did not disrespect the President. Rather, by allowing an associate of the autocratic regime to speak in parliament, the BNP has tarnished the legislature and insulted the nation.

Among those present at the briefing were Ahmad Abdul Qader, secretary general of Khelafat Majlis; Jalaluddin Ahmad, secretary general of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis; Mostafizur Rahman (Iran), chairman of the Bangladesh Labour Party; Abdul Majed Athari, nayeb-e-amir of the Bangladesh Nezame Islam Party; Rashed Pradhan, spokesperson for the Jatiya Ganatantrik Party (Jagpa); and Neamul Bashir, presidium member of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), among others.