Bring note-of-dissent proposal to committee meeting, Salahuddin Ahmed tells opposition; Jamaat calls invitation irrelevant
Committee president and Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has called on the opposition to come to a meeting of the constitution amendment committee and make a proposal if it wants changes to the note of dissent given by the BNP in the July National Charter. He also said he expects the opposition's participation in the constitution amendment process.
He made the remarks while talking to journalists on Saturday, October 24, after the eighth meeting of the special committee on constitution amendment of the Thirteenth Jatiya Sangsad, held in the Cabinet room of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.
Calling on the opposition to take part in the constitution amendment process, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said that during the Awami League government, the constitution amendment committee had tried to make a one-party government's power permanent. The present committee formed under a democratic government should not be equated with that committee. If the opposition wants to propose relaxing the BNP's note of dissent, it will have to come to the committee meeting and state it there.
On the Constitution Reform Council, the Home Minister said there is no existence of a 'constitution reform' council in the constitution. But they accept the referendum. Noting that there is debate over the questions raised in the referendum, he said they respect the verdict given by the people in the referendum. If there is another referendum in the future, it will be related to constitution reform.
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, the opposition party in the Jatiya Sangsad, has rejected the government's call for discussion on changing the note of dissent. The party's Assistant Secretary General and coordinator of the 11-party unity alliance, Dr A H M Hamidur Rahman Azad, said the people have rejected the note-of-dissent issues of the July Charter through the referendum. Therefore, the invitation to make a proposal to the constitution amendment special committee is irrelevant.
He also said: 'The opposition, standing on the side of the people, has been calling for the formation of a reform council to implement the referendum verdict in parliament and on the streets. The initiative taken by the ruling party to amend the constitution as it wishes, deceiving the people, is beyond jurisdiction and a wrong method. That is why we have already rejected it on behalf of the 11 parties.'
