Reform Commitments: NCP accuses BNP of backtracking

The convener of the National Citizen Party (NCP) and opposition chief whip Nahid Islam has accused the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of failing to honour key reform decisions agreed upon through the national consensus process.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday evening after an iftar and discussion meeting in the Mirpur-2 area of Dhaka, Nahid said BNP was unwilling to accept the core reforms that had emerged from the work of the Consensus Commission.

“If the reforms are implemented according to BNP’s own manifesto rather than the agreed framework, then the consensus commission and all the discussions held so far will become meaningless,” he said.

“In that case, there was no need for such a process in the first place. These issues should have been made clear to the nation earlier.”

The programme was organised by the Dhaka North unit of the NCP at the National Bangla School premises.

Nahid said his party would seek a clearer explanation from BNP in the next session regarding its position on holding a referendum on the proposed reforms.

“We want to know their stance on a referendum or public mandate. Once we hear their final position, we will present our own,” he said.

According to Nahid, BNP is now refusing to recognise the referendum process altogether.

He noted that questions had recently been raised by members of the ruling camp regarding the order for holding the referendum.

He said the referendum covered several fundamental reform proposals, including the establishment of an upper chamber in parliament, ensuring judicial independence, appointing a deputy speaker from the opposition, and guaranteeing neutral appointments to constitutional bodies.

“These were important reforms and had already been settled through consensus,” he said.

“Many parties, including ours, had disagreements with parts of the order, but we still accepted those differences and participated in the referendum process.”

Drawing a parallel with the political developments following the 1990 Mass Uprising in Bangladesh, Nahid said similar behaviour had been observed from BNP in the past.

“After the 1990 uprising, BNP did not honour the framework agreed upon by the three-party alliance once it came to power,” he said.

“As a result, parliamentary politics in Bangladesh did not last long and the country eventually moved toward authoritarian rule.”

He said it was now up to BNP to decide whether it would learn from history or repeat it.

At the same event, NCP chief coordinator Nasiruddin Patwari alleged that corruption had already begun in the distribution of family cards under a government assistance programme.

He also criticised the initiative to provide allowances to imams and priests, calling for structural reforms rather than what he described as populist measures.

“We urge them to stop these political theatrics. Earlier there was Sheikh Hasina’s theatrics, now there is Tarique Rahman’s theatrics,” he said, referring to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

Patwari said the country needed fundamental structural changes rather than short-term populist policies if lasting political stability and public welfare were to be achieved.

He also wished a speedy recovery to Mirza Abbas, a standing committee member of the BNP and political adviser to the prime minister.

The programme was presided over by NCP Dhaka North convener Ariful Islam Adib and moderated by its member secretary Sardar Amirul Islam Sagor.

Among others who spoke at the event were NCP joint member secretary and National Women’s Power convener Monira Sharmin and National Youth Power chief organiser Farhad Sohel.