Opposition MPs walk out over committee to amend constitution
Opposition MPs walked out of parliament after rejecting the treasury bench's move to form the Special Parliamentary Committee on Amending the Constitution in line with the July Charter.
Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni proposed the names of 12 members for the 17-member Special Parliamentary Committee on Amending the Constitution, to be headed by Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed.
Minutes after the names were placed before the House, Opposition Leader Shafiqur Rahman announced that opposition lawmakers were walking out of the chamber.
He said his party had opposed joining the special parliamentary committee from the outset; adding both the chief whip and the home minister had contacted the opposition regarding participation in the committee.
"We have made our position clear. We never said we would submit names of members. Conceptually, we did not accept it. We stated that we are committed to the nation, just as the current ruling party once was. Before the election, we all urged people to vote 'Yes' in the referendum, promising that if 'Yes' won, we would implement its verdict. In that spirit, we took two oaths -- one as members of parliament, and another as members of the Reform Council.
"We are rejecting the proposal and maintaining our previous position," Shafiqur said.
Terming the formation of the special committee contrary to the will of the people, Shafiqur announced the walkout from the House at around 9:25pm.
"We believe democracy means respecting the people's will. If a mandate, such as the 68.6 percent vote, is casually disregarded, citizens will not only lose faith in this democratic process but may turn rebellious.
"We hold that ignoring or insulting this public intent is unacceptable. Out of respect for the people's verdict, we will not join the committee, since this phase clearly shows their decision is not being honoured," he said.
On April 29, Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman told parliament that he and Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed had proposed forming the special committee.
He said the ruling party had prepared a list of 12 members comprising seven from BNP and five from Gono Adhikar Parishad, Ganosamhati Andolan, Bangladesh Jatiya Party, and independent MPs, while asking the opposition to nominate the remaining five members.
Highlighting the opposition's strength in parliament, he noted that it holds 26 percent of the seats.
Earlier, on March 31, the treasury bench dismissed the July Charter Implementation Order as "a document of endless deceit and national betrayal" and recommended forming an all-party committee.
In response, Shafiqur proposed convening the Constitution Reform Council instead. The exchange took place during discussion on an adjournment motion seeking the council's formation.
Under the July Charter Implementation Order, members of the 13th parliament were expected to serve both as lawmakers and as members of the Constitution Reform Council to consider 48 constitutional amendment proposals within 180 working days.
They were required to take two oaths, one as lawmakers and another as council members.
The council's first session was to be convened within 30 days of the election results, but it has yet to be formed.
BNP lawmakers refused to take the council oath, while 77 MPs from the Jamaat-led alliance took both oaths.
The July National Charter, drafted by the National Consensus Commission, outlined 48 proposals for constitutional reform.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. BNP submitted notes of dissent on several key provisions, supporting amendments based on its own position.
Jamaat, NCP, and other opposition parties favour implementing all 48 proposals through a Constitution Reform Council, which was endorsed in a referendum by a majority "Yes" vote.
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