‘All amendments will be abrogated’

The BNP will abrogate all constitutional amendments done during the immediate past and present Awami League regimes if it is voted to power again, party’s senior leader MK Anwar has said.

The party disclosed its plan on Wednesday, the day the 16th Constitutional Amendment Bill, proposing the restoration of Parliament’s power to impeach the Supreme Court judges, was tabled.

Speaking at a discussion in Dhaka, Anwar said: “This fascist regime is clinging to power without the mandate of the people. They’re mutilating the Constitution as per their wish. They’ve destroyed the judiciary.”

“We want to say it clearly that these amendments will be thrown out like rags when the government of the people will be established,” he added.

The 15th constitutional amendment done during the previous Awami League government scraped the system of having poll-time caretaker administration and provided highest punishment to those grabbing state power illegally.

The four fundamental principles of the country’s first Constitution -- nationalism, democracy, socialism and secularism -- were restored through the amendment, which also includes the Proclamation of Independence in the charter.

The BNP boycotted the 10th parliamentary election in protest against the scrapping of the caretaker government system.

The party is now agitating to press for the restoration of the system.

Anwar said at the discussion, organised by Diganta Television marking the 500th day of its shutdown by the authorities, that the government had formulated the National Broadcast Policy to control the mass media.

“All the organs of the state are being destroyed now. The government has formulated different policies to rein in the media.”

The BNP leader referred to the shutdown of all but four newspapers during the first Awami League government and several others during its 1996-2001 regime.

He also referred to five government secretaries procuring fake freedom-fighter certificates and called it the extreme example of politicisation of the administration.

Anwar asked the leaders and activists of the BNP-led 20-Party Alliance to wait for party chief Khaleda Zia’s announcement of an anti-government movement plan.

Diganta TV Executive Director Mahbubul Alam, journalist Sadeque Khan, columnist Farhad Mazhar, Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder Zafrullah Chowdhury, Kalyan Party chief Syed Mohammad Ibrahim and Naya Diganta Editor Alamgir Mohiuddin also spoke at the discussion.