BNP Acting Secretary General Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Saturday said all provisions of the July Charter cannot be implemented without amendments to the Constitution.
He said some provisions of the charter require ordinary legislation, while others involve constitutional amendments.
“Demanding implementation of whatever is proposed without following the constitutional process cannot be a legal way forward,” he said.
Rizvi made the remarks at a memorial meeting held on the premises of Manda Haider Ali School and College in the capital on Saturday afternoon.
Rizvi said a necessary legal framework must be formulated to implement the July Charter. Any required amendments must be made through the Jatiya Sangsad while maintaining constitutional continuity, he said.
But the opposition parties are trying to impose their demands without following the path of constitutional amendments, he alleged.
The BNP leader said his party, along with several other political parties, had submitted notes of dissent or objections regarding the July Charter.
“These issues must be resolved through discussion at the table. The politics of insisting that whatever is said must be accepted without listening to others is not acceptable,” he said.
He said constitutional reform must follow a specific process and legal framework, adding that the proposals could be implemented through parliamentary discussions and constitutional amendments.
Criticising the opposition's long march programme in Khulna, Rizvi said the opposition parties had been invited to Parliament to discuss the implementation of the July Charter.
“Come to Parliament. Let us sit together, discuss the issues and take the necessary steps. But they want to implement the July Charter without amending the Constitution,” he said.
He said the Constitution was framed after independence and had been amended at different times. Provisions of the July Charter related to the Constitution require constitutional amendments, while those that can be addressed through ordinary legislation can be implemented by passing laws in Parliament, he added.
Highlighting the economic initiatives of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, Rizvi said the Prime Minister is working tirelessly to give momentum to the country's economy.
Alongside travelling from one part of the country to another, Tarique is undertaking foreign visits to attract investment and increase loans, grants and economic cooperation, he said.
The Prime Minister's Political Adviser said various agreements and memorandums of understanding signed during the Prime Minister's visits to China and Japan had created prospects for industrialisation and employment generation in Bangladesh.
He also said the Prime Minister had visited Toyota's headquarters during his Japan trip and taken initiatives to explore the possibility of establishing a Toyota factory in Bangladesh and manufacturing automobile parts here.
The establishment of such industries would create employment opportunities for a large number of people, he added.
“The BNP practises politics based on truth, justice and public welfare. Following the ideals of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is running the country,” he said.
Dhaka South City BNP Joint Convener Liton Mahmud presided over the meeting, while Dhaka-9 MP and State Minister for Railways and the Road Transport and Highways Division Habibur Rashid Habib was the chief speaker.
Mugda Thana BNP and its affiliated organisations arranged the programme in memory of late Shamsul Huda, founding president of the then undivided Sabujbagh Thana BNP.
Mugda Thana BNP Joint Conveners Nazmul Hossain Parrot and Masud Hossain conducted the programme.