Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher on Friday said the BNP’s current stance is putting the upcoming parliamentary election at risk.
“They are mounting pressure on the government and rejecting the reform process,” he said at a programme involving Jamaat activists aimed at mobilising support for the party at polling stations, held at the Central Medical College auditorium in Cumilla.
“Now the BNP insists that the referendum and the election must be held on the same day. This position is creating unnecessary uncertainty,” he added.
Taher claimed that all political parties had reached a consensus through the National Consensus Commission and signed the July National Charter after extensive discussions.
“Everyone agreed that the charter would be accepted through a constitutional order, followed by a referendum, and then incorporated into the constitution by the next parliament within 270 days,” he explained. “The BNP was part of this agreement and signed it – but now they have suddenly reversed their position and are unjustly putting pressure on the government.”
He warned that if the government bows to BNP’s pressure and backtracks on its decisions, it will lose its neutrality. “A government that takes sides cannot be expected to hold a fair election. People are beginning to question whether this government can still be trusted,” he said.
Taher criticised the BNP for what he called “irresponsible behaviour and deliberate attempts to create political instability.”
He said that if the BNP had objections to the reform plan, they should have raised them before the process began.
“After wasting the time of so many parties and reaching a common understanding, they are now opposing reforms only to cause confusion,” he added.
The Jamaat leader emphasised that their party has consistently supported reforms through a referendum.
He accused the BNP of trying to mix two separate issues – reform and government formation – by demanding that the referendum and national election be held simultaneously. “It’s like trying to mix palm juice with sugarcane juice,” he quipped.
Taher further said, “I don’t see how the BNP benefits if the election doesn’t take place. Their behaviour only strengthens those who are plotting from abroad. It seems the BNP wants to bring back the unreformed Bangladesh we saw under the Awami League. But the people of this country will never allow that to happen.”
