Published: 12:16 AM, 19 July 2026
If referendum verdict ignored, govt will fail: Jamaat Ameer
Leader of the Opposition and Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman on Saturday (18 July) said the government will fail if it doesn't implement the verdict of the referendum.
He came up with the warning while addressing the 11-party alliance's divisional rally at Hemayet Uddin Eidgah Maidan in Barishal.
Shafiqur Rahman said, "BNP had promised to implement every demand endorsed through the referendum if the majority voted in favour, but later abandoned that commitment after assuming power."
"The ruling party had said if the majority of the people voted 'Yes' in the referendum, they would implement every demand of the referendum to the letter. We also said vote 'Yes,' and so did they. But when 'Yes' won, they came to power through whatever mechanism, and then they forgot the 'Yes'," he added.
Shafiqur also accused the government of backtracking on its reform agenda, saying constitutional reform had been the first point of its 31-point programme.
The Jamaat chief further alleged that the BNP-led government had retained ordinances introduced during the previous Awami League administration, describing the move as a betrayal of the people.
"A total of 133 ordinances were issued, and the very ordinances that gave birth to fascism have all been retained by the BNP. They say they will improve them and bring them back in a better form. Six months have passed, but where are those improvements?" he said.
Referring to the July Uprising, Shafiqur accused the government of attempting to diminish its significance, saying the events of 1971 and 2024 should each be honoured in their own historical context.
