Taher made the remarks as the chief guest attending a polling centre directors’ conference organised by Chaudhagram Upazila Jamaat.
He went on to say, “If the BNP had objections to the reforms, they could have said so before the process began. Then the July Charter could have proceeded — or not — without them. After so many political parties spent time and effort reaching a unified position, the BNP is now opposing the reform. I consider this a sign of irresponsibility. The BNP is deliberately attempting to create a political crisis. By raising doubts about the election scheduled for February, they are employing a new ploy to mislead the people.”
Reiterating Jamaat’s position, Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher added, “Jamaat-e-Islami has said from the beginning that reforms must be endorsed by the people through a referendum, as sovereignty rests with them. Now the BNP says they accept the referendum but want the national election and the referendum to be held simultaneously. But the referendum concerns the reform process, while the national election concerns government formation. They are trying to mix two entirely different issues. They have been deciding to create problems everywhere.”