Jatiya Party prepares to oppose amendment to Constitution

The Jatiya Party will oppose the bill on constitutional amendment handing back Parliament the powers to impeach Supreme Court judges.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 31 August 2014, 04:30 PM
Updated : 31 August 2014, 04:30 PM

The JP parliamentary party made the decision at a meeting on Sunday at Parliament building.

The meeting also decided to oppose the recently formulated National Broadcast Policy.

Leaders of the BNP-led 20-Party Alliance call the Jatiya Party, which sits in the Opposition bench but is part of the government, a tamed Opposition Party.

The Jatiya Party, however, says they support the government’s good moves but criticise the negative ones.

Chairman HM Ershad also joined the meeting, held a day before the beginning of the third session of the 10th Parliament.

After the meeting, Opposition Chief Whip Tajul Islam Chowdhury told reporters: “We’ll oppose in principle the proposal on constitutional amendment.”

“However, we’ll scrutinise the bill after it is tabled in Parliament. We’ll support if there is anything good (in the bill),” he added.

The Cabinet on Aug 18 approved the proposal on the 16th constitutional amendment.

Law Minister Anisul Huq said the amendment bill might be passed in the third session of Parliament.

The BNP is opposing the move to restore Parliament’s power to remove judges saying the government had taken the initiative to consolidate ‘one-party rule’.

Jatiya Party MP Moshiur Rahman Ranga, who is State Minister for Local Government, told reporters: “The meeting has decided that we’ll oppose the bill.”

Another party MP AKM Maidul Islam said the Jatiya Party would be vocal against the National Broadcast Policy.

He said: “Not only the stakeholders, the entire country will be affected by what is being done.”

The government has formulated the policy for the broadcast media. But different organisations of journalists are complaining that it will curtail independence of the media.