‘No reason to vote No in referendum’
Staff Reporter :
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said that there is no reason to vote “No” in the upcoming referendum on state reforms, as the proposed changes reflect long-standing demands of his party. He made the remarks on Friday (9 January) while addressing a gathering in Thakurgaon.
Mirza Fakhrul said the BNP had consistently called for a referendum alongside a national election to ensure public participation in reforming the state system. “We wanted the referendum and the national election to be held on the same day, and that is exactly what has happened,” he said.
Referring to the reform proposals being placed before voters, he said these were not new or externally imposed ideas. “The reforms that are now being put to a referendum are the same proposals that BNP presented to the nation through our 31-point agenda in 2016, and later reaffirmed in 2023,” he added.
Friday’s statement was circulated by the BNP Media Cell.
Describing reform as an ongoing and evolving process, Mirza Fakhrul said democratic systems must adapt over time in line with people’s aspirations. “Reform is not a one-time event. It is a continuous process. I do not see any logical reason to say ‘No’ to reform,” he said.
The BNP leader has previously expressed similar views on the referendum issue. On several occasions over the past months, Mirza Fakhrul said that any fundamental changes to the constitution, electoral system, or governance framework must be endorsed directly by the people through a referendum.
He has argued that reforms lacking public approval would not be sustainable and could undermine democratic legitimacy.
Earlier, he also maintained that BNP’s support for reform was conditional on transparency, political consensus, and the restoration of a genuinely representative electoral process. He had stressed that reforms should strengthen democracy, ensure accountability of state institutions, and guarantee people’s voting rights, rather than serve the interests of any particular group.