Rizvi says July Charter cannot bypass constitutional process

Implementing the July Charter without ensuring constitutional continuity or amending the Constitution amounts to imposing it by force, according to BNP Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.
He made this comment at a memorial organised by BNP’s Mugda thana unit and affiliated organisations at Haider Ali School and College in Dhaka on Saturday.
Besides, demands for implementing it without following the due process will not be tollerated, Rizvi said, adding that members of the BNP and other political parties had submitted notes of dissent over a few provisions. "Demanding that whatever is proposed must be accepted without hearing other views is not acceptable politics," he said.
Rizvi stressed that any constitutional reform must follow established procedures and a legal framework, adding that such changes could be implemented through constitutional amendments. Speaking about the global economic downturn and energy crisis, he said fuel shortages and rising prices are affecting countries worldwide, including those in the Middle East and Europe.
He alleged that opposition parties were trying to hold the government responsible for the impact of global crises on Bangladesh.
Rizvi said the BNP and its Chairman Tarique Rahman were making sincere efforts to secure alternative supplies of fuel and gas from Malaysia and Indonesia to keep industries operating and ensure uninterrupted cooking fuel supplies.  
He also claimed that power shortages in the capital have been brought largely under control.
Highlighting the government's economic initiatives, Rizvi said the BNP-led coalition government is working to maintain domestic economic activities and create employment. 
He said the Family Card programme had been introduced for marginalised and extremely poor people, which he claimed would reduce the poverty rate by at least five percentage points.