BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed has said that no one has the authority to amend Bangladesh’s constitution outside the constitutional process.
He made the remark on Saturday (October 4) while speaking at a discussion meeting organized by the National Democratic Party (NDP) at the Engineers Institution in Ramna, Dhaka.
The event was held to mark the 36th founding anniversary of the NDP under the theme “Post-Uprising National Consensus, Democratic Transition Through Free and Fair Elections.”
Referring to the ongoing debate over the July Charter and the proportional representation (PR) system, Salahuddin said, “The state is not a child’s play. We cannot toy with the fate of 180 million people. This country must run in a systematic manner.”
He further warned that creating a precedent of amending the constitution without a valid constitutional process would be “dangerous.” “If it happens once, such demands will repeatedly arise in the future,” he noted.
On the July Charter, the BNP leader said, “We have proposed that on election day, people’s opinions should be taken through a referendum on the same ballot. If the people say ‘yes,’ then that parliament will have the legal mandate to implement the charter. But some political parties want to enforce it immediately and illegally, which is unacceptable.”
He emphasized that the constitution is not something to be altered whimsically. “The constitution is not like water on a taro leaf—it cannot be changed at will. Continuity and systematic governance are essential for state management,” he said.
Questioning the stance of parties demanding PR, Salahuddin asked, “What was their role in the January 7, 2024 elections? Some of them participated in that ‘dummy’ election. How then do they claim to be part of the movement?”
He cautioned protesting parties against misleading the people, saying such actions were harmful to democratic practice. “Our objective should be to strengthen the anti-fascist national unity and defeat fascist forces once and for all,” he added.
The discussion was presided over by NDP President Abdullah Al Harun and conducted by Secretary General Jamil Ahmed. Leaders of various political parties, including Fariduzzaman Farhad of Jatiya People’s Party, ATM Golam Maula Chowdhury of Gano Dal, Rashed Khan of Gano Adhikar Parishad, and Khokon Chandra Das of Democratic League, also spoke at the event.
