Staff Reporter :
Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has invited the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) for a second round of dialogue at the State Guest House Jamuna on Monday (2 June), according to BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed.
The invitation comes as political tensions continue to mount over the timing of the next general election and the extent of reforms being carried out by the interim government.
Speaking at a discussion organised by the Krishak Dal in Dhaka on Saturday, Salahuddin confirmed the BNP’s participation in the upcoming meeting but expressed doubts about the potential outcomes.
“There is no lack of formality in these talks, but little of substance is being achieved,” he said, warning that dialogue without meaningful progress would only deepen public frustration.
He further accused political opponents of attempting to discredit the BNP by labelling it as “traitors” or “agents of foreign powers,” suggesting that such rhetoric is designed to create division under the guise of reform. “What is being called reform is, in reality, superficial change,” Salahuddin remarked.
Reiterating the party’s stance, he emphasised that the national election must be held before December 2025. “This is the unequivocal demand of the people,” he asserted. If there are legitimate reasons to delay the election, he said, the government must publicly clarify them.
Monday’s meeting follows an earlier round of discussions between the BNP and the chief adviser, where party leaders urged the government to accelerate the reform process and commit to a December election timeline.
The political debate intensified after Yunus’s recent comments at the 30th Nikkei Forum in Tokyo on Thursday (29 May).
Addressing an international audience, he stated that only “one particular party” was demanding elections within this year-an assertion the BNP swiftly dismissed as “misleading” and “disconnected from political reality.”
Several other political alliances-including the Left Democratic Alliance, the 12-party Alliance, and Gono Forum-have since echoed the BNP’s demand for elections by December, challenging Yunus’s implication that such views were isolated.
“This is not merely the position of one party-it reflects a broader political consensus,” said Salahuddin. “The chief adviser must acknowledge this and take appropriate steps.”
Although Yunus has pledged that elections will be held between December 2025 and June 2026, and that the interim government will not extend its tenure beyond that period, the absence of a detailed roadmap has fuelled further political uncertainty. Opposition parties continue to call for greater transparency and urgency.
As the second round of talks approaches, political analysts suggest the government is under increasing pressure to move beyond rhetoric and deliver a clear and credible election timeline-one that is acceptable to all major political stakeholders.
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