The ruling BNP will once again ask the opposition to join a special parliamentary committee on constitutional amendments in line with the July National Charter when parliament’s second session begins on June 7.
BNP leaders said the party was waiting for a formal response from the opposition to its earlier proposal. If the opposition rejects it or continues to withhold a decision, the matter will be raised again in the upcoming session of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad.
The BNP high command has informally learned that the opposition parties have decided to reject the ruling party’s proposal, party sources said.
Talking to The Daily Star, BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed, also the home minister, said, “We will once again raise the issue in the next parliamentary session. If they don’t respond, then we’ll discuss it in our parliamentary party meeting to reach a decision.”
Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni said there was no constitutional alternative to the proposed parliamentary committee. “We will still ask the opposition what other constitutional methods there can be as an alternative. If they can provide any new insight, then we will consider it and arrive at a decision.”
Nurul Islam said the ruling party wanted to give priority to constitutional amendments during the upcoming budget session. “We are thinking of forming the committee during the budget session itself. I hope we will be able to complete the work of constitutional amendment by December and January.”
Several ruling party MPs said informal discussions were underway on how the BNP should move forward if the opposition formally rejects the proposal.
A section of MPs said the ruling party may still form the committee with BNP lawmakers and MPs from other parties represented in parliament.
“If the opposition does not join, then we will have to consider other partners and MPs in the House. The committee should still have contributions from several parties,” said one BNP lawmaker, requesting anonymity.
He said the final decision would come from Prime Minister and BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman.
Jamaat-e-Islami and National Citizen Party have opposed joining the proposed committee and are preparing to formally convey their decision to the ruling party. They argue that constitutional reforms should be implemented through the formation of a Constitution Reform Council.
The BNP-led government, however, says the constitution has no provision for such a council. It wants reforms to be carried out through parliament by forming a special committee to examine amendment proposals.
The dispute has dominated parliament since the 13th parliament convened.
On April 29, the government proposed forming a 17-member special parliamentary committee to amend the constitution in light of the July charter. It said it had prepared names for 12 members and requested five names from the opposition. In response, the opposition sought time to make a decision.
