FROM PAGE 12

Islam urged the government to immediately accept and implement the referendum verdict “while there is still time”.

“Barely two months into assuming office, extortion has resumed. People are fed up with the harassment. You yourselves are creating mobs from within the ruling party, indirectly provoking the people.”

He also called on the government to make an announcement in parliament about initiating constitutional reforms and implement the referendum verdict.

“Those of us who are in the Jatiya Sangsad will cooperate. Otherwise, be prepared to face protests in the days ahead,” Azhar warned.

“People of Bangladesh know how you came to power. They are well aware of the extent to which you manipulated election results in various constituencies… The ground beneath your feet has begun to slip away. Understand the language of the people. Do not force them to take to the streets in protest. If the people do come out to the streets, they will not leave until their demands are met, Inshallah.”

Urging activists of the alliance to mobilise people, he said, “If the government does not accept our demands, we will compel it to do so through peaceful means. In the meantime, we will continue to play our role in parliament and intensify the movement on the streets.”

Also speaking at the rally, Jamaat Assistant Secretary General and alliance coordinator Hamidur Rahman Azad said the government’s conduct suggests little has changed in Bangladesh since August 5, 2024.

“It does not appear that Sheikh Hasina has fled to India or that fascism has fallen. Her government was anti-people, and the current one is also heading in the same direction.

“In the past, Sheikh Hasina tried to suppress us with counter programmes but failed before the power of the people. If the current government resorts to repression using state machinery like a fascist regime, people will resist unitedly and realise their demands.”

Nasiruddin Patwari, chief coordinator of the National Citizen Party (NCP), alleged that the government has established “Zia-tantra” instead of democracy.

“They have taken control of our banks, parliament, and the Anti-Corruption Commission. Leaders of the 11-party alliance are being attacked in different places. The people, who voted with certain expectations, are now being made to stand in queues with empty buckets.”

Earlier in the day, Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman criticised the government by saying allocations for the Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute are inadequate amid rising concern over the disease.

Speaking to reporters after visiting the hospital in Dhaka’s Shyamoli yesterday, Shafiqur said the facility’s annual government allocation had been reduced from Tk 30 crore to Tk 28 crore. “Of that, only Tk 7 crore has been released in the first quarter, which is insufficient to operate the 700-bed hospital.”

Later, after visiting a petrol pump in Asadgate, Shafiqur urged the government to disclose accurate information on fuel supplies, saying that delivering false information in the Jatiya Sangsad is “unfortunate and shameful for the nation”.