Leaders of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance on Saturday called on the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led government to take steps to accept the July National Charter in Jatiya Sangsad to show respect to the February 12 referendum verdict.
They made the call at a protest rally held in front of the north gate of the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in Dhaka.
Presiding over the rally, Jamaat nayeb-e-amir ATM Azharul Islam alleged that the BNP, after winning the February 12 general elections, had declined to implement the July National Charter, although about 70 per cent of voters had supported it in the referendum held along with the national polls.
The people would not accept anything other than the adoption of the July National Charter in Jatiya Sangsad, as the spirit of the July uprising was reflected in the charter for establishing a discrimination-free democratic country, Azharul said.
He said that they would place the demand in parliament and wage a street movement to compel the BNP-led government to adopt the charter in Jatiya Sangsad.
Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish amir Mamunul Haque called on the BNP-led government to accept the charter and govern the country in accordance with the will of the majority.
Before the parliamentary polls and the referendum, BNP chairman Tarique Rahman had urged voters to cast their ballots in favour of the July National Charter, but the party changed its stance after securing a two-thirds majority in the elections, Mamunul alleged.
National Citizen Party member secretary Akter Hossain said that they did not want the implementation of the 1972 constitution, which, he claimed, had failed to ensure people’s rights.
‘We want a new constitution to ensure people’s rights,’ he said.
Ahmed Abdul Kader, secretary general of Khelafat Majlish, another component of the alliance, said they were compelled to take to the streets to ensure the rights of the people.
Jamaat joint secretary general Hamidur Rahman Azad and Jatiya Ganatantrik Party coordinator Rashed Prodhan, among others, also spoke at the rally.
The rally was followed by a protest procession that ended at Kakrail crossing after passing through Paltan crossing, Bijoynagar and Nightingale crossing.
