The 11-party alliance led by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has announced a rally and protest march in Dhaka this coming Saturday (April 4), demanding implementation of the referendum verdict through constitutional reform.

The rally is scheduled to be held at 5:00pm at the north gate of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General Hamidur Rahman Azad announced after a meeting of the alliance on Thursday.

He said the opposition alliance would also seek to build public opinion through outreach and leaflet distribution to press home its demands.

The outline of the movement and the next programme will be announced at a meeting of the alliance’s top leaders on April 7, he added.

Dr. Azad alleged that the government is taking initiatives to amend the constitution while ignoring the popular mandate expressed in the referendum, which he said insults the people and contradicts the spirit of the July uprising.

He said amending the constitution to meet the country's needs falls within parliament's jurisdiction and is a routine process.

However, no part of the basic structure of the constitution can be changed through an amendment bill, he added.

In special cases, he said, the legal way to change the basic structure is to hold a referendum and form a Constitutional Reform Council to secure direct public consent.

He also alleged that constitutional amendments paved the way for authoritarian rule in the past, and claimed the current government is moving in the same direction.

He said reforms based on the referendum verdict are needed, rather than amendments.

Criticising the energy crisis, the deterioration in law and order, and the government’s decision to introduce online classes in educational institutions, he said the authorities deny the energy crisis despite its existence.

He also described the decision to introduce partial online classes in schools as harmful to students’ intellectual development.

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

It warned that if the demands are not met, a movement will be launched on the streets.