BSS
Published:
BNP Secretary General and LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Friday said the opposition parties are misleading the public over the July Charter.
“We’re facing many questions today. The opposition is saying that if the demand to implement the July Charter is not fulfilled in Parliament, the issue will be settled through street protests,” he told a memorial meeting marking the 6th death anniversary of Professor Emaz Uddin Ahmed at Jatiya Press Club in Dhaka.
Professor Emaz Uddin Ahmed Research Center and Jatiya Sangbadik Samity jointly organized the event as a special prayer was also offered at the end of the programme seeking eternal peace of the departed soul of Prof Emaz Uddin, ex-vice-chancellor of Dhaka University.
Referring to the proposed referendum, Fakhrul said, “Regarding the referendum being discussed, we were never consulted on part of it. We have repeatedly stated that we never agreed to proportional representation in the upper house. At that time, I myself issued a statement saying that the nation had been deceived. The Reform Commission introduced those proposals without our consent.”
He added that if people read the July Charter carefully, they would see that it clearly states the party elected to government will implement it in accordance with its election manifesto.
“We’ve consistently said this, and we remain committed. Just as we are committed to our 31-point reform agenda, we are equally committed to implementing the July Charter. However, we intend to do so in the way we have proposed. The opposition is completely misrepresenting our position by claiming that we do not want to implement the July Charter,” said Fakhrul.
Speaking about reforms, the BNP secretary general said, “Who introduced reforms in this country? It was the BNP. The BNP brought multi-party democracy in place of one-party rule. It changed the presidential system of government to a parliamentary system. We worked throughout the night in Parliament to pass the caretaker government provision. When these issues are raised today, I believe they are being used to mislead the public.”
He said that many in the opposition are making sensational remarks in an attempt to provoke the public.
“No one understands better than the people themselves. They are fully capable of judging what we have proposed regarding constitutional amendments,” he said.
Fakhrul said the current debate centers on constitutional reform versus constitutional amendment. “We have always said that we want to amend the Constitution. We have never said that we want to rewrite or fundamentally reform it,” he said.
The BNP secretary general added, “The people have given us their mandate based on our election manifesto. With a two-thirds majority, the BNP has been entrusted with the responsibility of governing the state. Therefore, I do not believe there is any room for confusion on this issue.”
He further alleged that the opposition is trying to use the July Charter merely as a means of gaining power. “We do not want the July Charter to become just another political tool for obtaining power,” he said.
Responding to criticism of the BNP, Fakhrul said, “Many people make various allegations against the BNP. Six million BNP supporters have faced false cases, around 1,700 leaders and activists have been disappeared, and thousands of BNP members have been killed while fighting against fascism. We have to keep reminding people of these facts because some are trying to create confusion.”
He continued, “We are trying to move toward liberal democracy, and we want to uphold that path. I often wonder why anyone would want to move away from liberal democracy. What problem do we have with democracy? Let us remain committed to democracy and avoid divisive politics. Just as we united to achieve independence in 1971, fought against the Ershad dictatorship, and in 2024 waged the final struggle against fascism, we have now created a democratic environment. If we work together, we can take the country to the place we have long aspired to reach.”
Former Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Prof Anwar Ullah Chowdhury chaired the programme while Jahangirnagar University Vice-Chancellor Prof Kamrul Ahsan and convener of the Professor Emaz Uddin Ahmed Research Center Prof Abdul Latif Masud also spoke, among others.
