Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Friday accused Bangladesh’s Muhammad Yunus-led interim government and the National Consensus Commission of “betraying the nation” by altering key provisions of the July National Charter, saying they had “deceived the people.”
Speaking at a discussion at the Jatiya Press Club marking the 53rd founding anniversary of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD), Fakhrul said, “When the commission presented its report to the Chief Adviser, many points were changed. The notes of dissent from different parties were ignored. We trusted them, but they betrayed that trust — something we never expected.”
He said BNP supports reforms and had signed the July Charter despite differences. “If we come to power, we will implement our version; if not, we won’t,” he added.
Rejecting the demand by Islamist parties for a referendum before the polls, Fakhrul said, “There is now no scope for a referendum before the election. It will be held on the same day, with two ballots, one for the referendum and another for the national election.”
Without naming Jamaat-e-Islami, he warned, “Those who are agitating for a referendum should stop misleading the public. You opposed the Liberation War in 1971; don’t oppose the people’s right to vote now. The people of this country never forgive betrayal.”
Fakhrul alleged that a “vested quarter” was trying to delay the polls. “We are determined to move forward. We want to form a national government with those who stood by us in the anti-fascist movement,” he said.
He praised JSD president ASM Abdur Rob for his contribution to restoring democracy after independence and wished him a speedy recovery.
Nagorik Oikya president Mahmudur Rahman Manna echoed Fakhrul’s criticism, saying, “If the government organising the election itself deceives the people, what hope is there?” He added that a referendum before the polls was “neither possible nor practical.”
AB Party chairman Mujibur Rahman Monju said, “We thought the 2024 uprising would usher in new politics, but the country seems to be heading back to a BNP–Jamaat bipolar system.”
Gono Odhikar Parishad chief Nurul Haque questioned the feasibility of a referendum with polls expected in February. “If the schedule is announced in December, how can another election-like process be held within a month?” he asked.
The tenure of the Yunus-led National Consensus Commission expired on October 31 after multiple extensions, having failed to complete its report on time.