Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Monday said that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has offered Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami the post of Deputy Speaker in the upcoming 13th Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) if the party assumes the role of opposition.
He made the remarks at the Secretariat in Dhaka.
The Home Minister said that, in accordance with the Constitution, the President will deliver the inaugural address at the first session of the 13th National Parliament.
“In the Parliament, BNP has proposed that Jamaat-e-Islami take the post of Deputy Speaker as the opposition party,” he said.
Addressing the issue of the proposed Constitutional Reform Council, the minister clarified that its members cannot participate in Parliament unless they are elected lawmakers.
“As members of the Constitutional Reform Council, they cannot take part in the National Parliament. Only Members of Parliament can participate in parliamentary proceedings,” he said.
He further stated that while discussions regarding constitutional reform may take place in political arenas as part of democratic rights, no unconstitutional matter can be placed before Parliament.
“The discussions taking place over constitutional reform, or the various statements being made in the political field, can be considered a political right. But we cannot raise anything unconstitutional in the National Parliament,” he said.
The Home Minister also explained that if a Constitutional Reform Council is to be formed following a referendum, the decision must first be discussed and approved in Parliament through a constitutional amendment.
“If a Constitutional Reform Council is to be formed in accordance with a referendum verdict, the matter must be decided through discussion in the National Parliament, and a constitutional amendment must be passed accordingly. Only after incorporating the amendment into the Constitution can the process be finalized—including how the council will be formed, who will administer the oath, and how it will function,” he added.
The minister emphasized that any initiative related to constitutional reform must strictly follow constitutional procedures.
