Jamaat-led opposition alliance to stage Protest Rally in Dhaka on Saturday

The 11-party alliance led by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has announced a protest rally and march in Dhaka on Saturday pressing for the implementation of the referendum verdict through constitutional reform. 

The demonstration will begin at 5:00 PM at the north gate of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General Hamidur Rahman Azad said after a Thursday meeting of the alliance.

Azad stated that the opposition alliance plans to raise public awareness of their demands through outreach programs and leaflet distribution ahead of the rally. 

He added that a broader outline of the movement and the next steps would be shared during a meeting of the alliance’s top leaders scheduled for April 7.

During his remarks, Azad alleged that the government is attempting to amend the constitution while disregarding the public mandate expressed in the referendum, a move he said undermines the people and contradicts the spirit of the July uprising. 

He emphasized that while amending the constitution to address national needs is a routine parliamentary procedure, no amendment can alter the basic structure without direct public consent. 

In exceptional cases, he said, a referendum and the formation of a Constitutional Reform Council are required to legitimize changes to the constitution’s fundamental framework.

Azad also criticized the government for allegedly paving the way for authoritarianism through constitutional amendments and claimed that the current administration is following a similar path. 

He urged reforms based on the referendum verdict rather than routine amendments.

The opposition leader further condemned the ongoing energy crisis, law and order deterioration and the government’s decision to introduce partial online education, describing the latter as detrimental to students’ intellectual growth.

The 11-party alliance called for immediate implementation of the referendum results and the formation of a Constitutional Reform Council. 

It warned that failure to meet these demands would trigger mass street movements across the country.

SH