Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis Secretary General Maulana Jalaluddin Ahmad urged the government to promptly implement the referendum verdict, warning against what he described as growing public anger. He made the remarks on Tuesday at the party’s central office in Purana Paltan, Dhaka, during a meeting to prepare for a September 5 long march organised under the 11-party alliance initiative.

Ahmad said the government would have no opportunity to ignore the public turnout expected at the long march. He cited gas and fuel shortages, rising prices of essential goods and factory closures as government failures that had disrupted public life. He said disregarding the referendum verdict in such circumstances would be an imprudent decision.

He also said people understood the difference between amending and reforming the constitution, and cautioned against misleading them in the name of constitutional amendment. The meeting, chaired by joint secretary general and long march implementation committee chief Maulana Ataullah Amin, called on Dhaka’s party workers to intensify preparations, public outreach and campaigning to make the September 5 programme successful.