BNP behind referendum crisis, they must resolve it: Jamaat Secretary General

Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar on Tuesday accused the ruling BNP of deliberately delaying the implementation of the national referendum verdict, warning that ignoring the will of five crore voters could push Bangladesh back toward authoritarian rule.

Speaking at a press conference at Al-Falah Auditorium in Mogbazar following a meeting of the 11-party alliance's top leadership, Parwar said the BNP had created an artificial crisis by refusing to take the oath of the Constitution Reform Council and avoiding its scheduled meetings despite being a signatory to the July Charter.

"Fifty million people voted to reject BNP's note of dissent. If that mandate is now ignored on the strength of a parliamentary majority, the country will slide back into authoritarianism," the Jamaat leader said, adding that the party which created the crisis must now take responsibility for resolving it.

Parwar said the alliance parties had reached consensus on key reform issues including balancing power between the President and the Prime Minister and establishing transparent procedures for appointments to constitutional posts. 

"But BNP dissented on these very issues, proving they want to pave the way for authoritarian governance and corruption once again," he said.

The Jamaat leader also took aim at the government over the worsening fuel crisis, saying mile-long queues have formed at petrol pumps across the country while ministers in parliament continue to deny any shortage exists. 

He warned that the fuel scarcity is creating an irrigation crisis in the agricultural sector that will eventually drive up food prices. "The government is more focused on changing its own fortune than changing the fortune of the people," he said.

Parwar condemned the recent arrest of a Jamaat women's leader in Bhola under the Digital Security Act over a Facebook post, calling it deeply inhumane that a woman with a disabled child was handcuffed for expressing her views online. 

He also strongly denounced derogatory remarks made against 11-party alliance leader Colonel (retired) Oli Ahmed, Bir Bikrom.

The press conference was also attended by Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis Amir Mamunul Haque, Jamaat Assistant Secretary General Hamidur Rahman Azad, NCP chief organizer Sarjis Alam, and Jagpa vice-president Rashed Pradhan among other alliance leaders.