Desk Report: Khelafat Majlis has demanded immediate withdrawal of the recent fuel price hike and called for bringing the prices of fuel, electricity and essential commodities within the purchasing capacity of ordinary people.

The demand was made at the party’s weekly Central Executive Committee meeting held at its Paltan central office on Wednesday evening, chaired by Khelafat Majlis Ameer Maulana Abdul Basit Azad and conducted by its Secretary General Dr Ahmad Abdul Qader.

The leaders expressed concern over the government’s decision to raise the prices of all four major petroleum products by Tk 20 per litre. Under the revised rates, diesel is selling at Tk 135, kerosene at Tk 155, petrol at Tk 160 and octane at Tk 165 per litre, effective from September 21.

They said the fuel price increase had already pushed up bus fares and prices of essential goods and could put further pressure on inflation. According to the party leaders, repeated increases in fuel and electricity prices over recent months were making it increasingly difficult for ordinary people to meet their daily expenses.

“We demand that fuel, electricity and other essential commodities be brought within the purchasing capacity of the people and that the increased fuel prices be withdrawn,” the leaders said.

The meeting also expressed concern over what the leaders described as increasing incidents of killing, rape and abuse of children and adolescents. They called for a “zero tolerance” approach against juvenile gangs, drug suppliers and criminals.

On constitutional reform, the Khelafat Majlis leaders alleged that the government was seeking to protect the existing constitutional framework instead of undertaking fundamental reforms in line with what they described as the people’s referendum verdict and the spirit of the July mass uprising.

The party called for the immediate formation of a Constitution Reform Council comprising all political parties represented in parliament and demanded implementation of a comprehensive constitutional reform roadmap based on the referendum verdict.

The party has previously called for constitutional reform through a council and implementation of the July National Charter.

The meeting was attended by Naib-e-Ameer Maulana Sakhawat Hossain, Maulana Ahmad Ali Qasemi, Professor Abdullah Farid, Joint Secretary General Advocate Jahangir Hossain, Professor Md Abdul Jalil, Organising Secretary Advocate Mizanur Rahman, Professor Kazi Minhajul Alam, Training Secretary Zahirul Islam, Cultural Secretary Maulana Ruhul Amin Sadi, Publicity and Information Secretary Engineer Abdul Hafiz Khasru, Dr Abdur Razzaq Asad, Khandaker Shahabuddin Ahmad, Mufti Abdul Haque Amini, Zillur Rahman, Professor Maulana Azizul Haque, Maulana Saifuddin Ahmad Khandaker, Alhaj Nur Hossain, Maulana Faruk Ahmad Bhuiyan, Maulana Nurul Haque, Abul Hossain and Amir Ali Hawladar.