Bangladesh Nationalist Party standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed on Friday said that a referendum could not replace parliament鈥檚 role in enacting laws or amending the constitution.
He warned that the BNP would not accept any proposal that would appear to be imposed or undermine parliamentary sovereignty.
He made the remarks at a pre-march rally titled 鈥楻ising Violence and Disrespect: Conscious Women Prepared to Resist,鈥� held in the capital鈥檚 Shahbagh and organised by the Women and Children Rights Forum.
Laws, he said, cannot be enacted through a聽 referendum, nor can the constitution be amended through it.
The BNP is committed to implement every clause of the July Charter exactly as agreed by the political parties, said Salahuddin.
鈥業f anything beyond that is imposed, the people will judge that,鈥� he said.
鈥楴o law or order should interfere with the sovereignty of parliament, and there should be no imposition that would undermine it. Strict vigilance will be kept on these matters,鈥� he added.
He said that the party welcomed the proposal to hold the national election and the referendum on the same day, as it would be cost-effective, time-saving, and convenient.
It will also allow a greater number of voters to participate and express their opinion, he added.
Chief adviser Muhammad Yunus in his address to the nation on Thursday said that the upcoming national election and a referendum on the reform proposals in the July Charter would be held simultaneously on the same day in the first half of February.
Salahuddin also said at the event that if entrusted with state power through the people鈥檚 mandate, the BNP would ensure the highest punishment for those found guilty of committing violence against women.
He further said that measures would be taken to ensure that those involved in violence against women, including rapists, could not escape through legal loopholes.
The BNP, he added, will remain vigilant so that misuse of the law does not allow offenders to evade justice.
Referring to a political party that engages in politics in the name of religion, he said, 鈥楾heir motives are questionable 鈥� they want to confine women to their homes. They exploit religion for political gains, selling the promise of paradise to win votes, while women suffer under their influence.鈥�
He said that there would be no religion-based divisions in the future as all citizens would enjoy equal rights as guaranteed by the constitution.
BNP standing committee member and convener of the Women and Children Rights Forum Selima Rahman presided over the rally.
After the rally, participants stage a silent march from Shahbagh to the Central Shaheed Minar with black cloths tied over their mouths.
