Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer and Leader of the Opposition Dr Shafiqur Rahman on Saturday warned that the government would lose its political legitimacy if it failed to implement the verdict of the recent referendum, claiming that nearly 70 percent of voters had endorsed the proposed reforms.
Addressing a large 11-party divisional rally at Hemayet Uddin Central Eidgah Maidan in Barishal, Dr Shafiqur said the people would launch a strong movement if the referendum outcome was ignored.
"If the referendum is ignored, this government will also lose its legitimacy. If you make the referendum fail, you will be made to fail. The people will compel you to respect the referendum," he said.
The rally was organised to demand implementation of the referendum verdict, measures to ease public suffering, control soaring prices of essential commodities and improve the country's transport system.
Urging the government to honour what he described as the people's mandate, the Jamaat chief said rejecting the referendum would amount to rejecting democracy itself.
"Our position is clear. The verdict of the people through the referendum must be respected. Those who reject the referendum reject democracy and stand against the people's will," he said.
Dr Shafiqur warned the government against what he termed attempts to mislead the public, saying it should "return to the path of respecting the people's verdict" before public frustration intensified.
He also criticised the parliamentary committee formed to recommend constitutional amendments, calling it unconstitutional and reiterating Jamaat's demand that reforms be implemented in line with the referendum.
"There is no constitutional provision for such a committee. If anyone tries political trickery over constitutional reforms, the nation will not accept it," he said.
The opposition leader alleged that the government had repeatedly changed the committee's description, first calling it the Constitution Amendment Committee before later referring to it as a special committee.
On the legacy of last year's July mass uprising, Dr Shafiqur said the movement was launched to end discrimination rather than create new divisions.
He also stressed that the significance of the 2024 uprising should not diminish the importance of the 1971 Liberation War.
"Twenty-Four must remain honoured as Twenty-Four, and Seventy-One must remain honoured as Seventy-One," he said, demanding proper state recognition for those killed and injured during the July movement.
Warning against any attempt to alter the July Memory Museum, he said Jamaat would strongly resist any move to erase the history of the uprising.
Turning to the economy, Dr Shafiqur accused the government of failing to contain inflation, saying ordinary people were struggling under rising prices of food, fuel, gas and electricity.
He claimed that while the cost of living had increased by around Tk 5,000 per household, assistance provided through family cards amounted to only Tk 2,500.
The Jamaat chief also highlighted regional development issues, renewing demands for a bridge to Bhola and railway connectivity for Barishal, saying balanced national development would remain impossible unless long-neglected regions received their fair share of infrastructure investment.
Issuing another warning, he said the government would face a massive rally in Dhaka if it failed to implement the referendum verdict.
"If you do not accept the referendum verdict, prepare for a grand rally in Dhaka. People will march to the capital carrying only flattened rice and puffed rice if necessary," he said, while expressing hope that the government would eventually implement the referendum outcome before such action became necessary.
The rally was attended by leaders of the National Citizen Party (NCP), Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish, Bangladesh Nezam-e-Islam Party, Bangladesh Labour Party, JAGPA and Bangladesh Development Party, among others.
