Leader of the Opposition and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman on Wednesday said his party remains firm in its demand for the formation of a constitutional reform council in line with the verdict of referendum, instead of giving representatives to a special parliamentary committee on constitutional amendment accepting a proposal from the ruling party.
"The people gave a mandate for reform, not merely for amendment (to Constitution). So, we cannot agree to the proposal (given by the ruling party to join) for the special committee," he said, while addressing a post-budget view-exchange meeting with journalists at the LD Hall of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.
The opposition leader said the referendum had given a clear public mandate for constitutional reform, but the government's decision to pursue constitutional amendments through a special parliamentary committee contradicts that mandate.
He said a political crisis has been created in the country as the verdict of the referendum has not been implemented.
Shafiqur Rahman, however, said they remain open to dialogue with the government on the issue as it needs to reach a political solution through talks in the parliamentary democracy.
Explaining his party's street programmes, he said the opposition had been compelled to take to the streets with programmes after failing to secure sufficient discussion in Parliament on this issue.
“It needs permission from the Speaker to discuss the issue in Parliament, but does not require such permission in the parliament of the people (streets),” the Jamaat chief said.
He said as they do not get enough scope to discuss the issue in Parliament, they decided to go to the people's parliament. “We’ve taken the side of the people. We want the public verdict to be implemented,” he said.
Turning to the 2026-27 national budget, the opposition leader said the government had accepted several proposals put forward by the opposition, including withdrawing the provision to legalise undisclosed money and scrapping the proposed tax on small grocery shops and marginal businesses.
He also demanded shifting the fiscal year from July-June to January-December to align with the calendar year.
Arguing for the change, Shafiqur Rahman said the existing fiscal calendar encourages excessive spending during the final three months of the year, leading to waste, corruption and poor implementation.
He also called for ensuring that the impact of reduced taxes on 61 essential commodities is reflected in market prices, saying otherwise the benefits will be captured by business syndicates rather than consumers.
The Jamaat chief criticised the absence of budget allocations for the July Museum and July Foundation, saying the July movement should be preserved as part of the nation's history.