Bangladesh: NCP declares no ‘note of dissent’ in July Charter amid rising political tensions

Dhaka, Nov 8 (IANS) In a growing political conflict in Bangladesh, the National Citizen Party (NCP) asserted there would be no “note of dissent” in the July charter, local media reported.

The remarks came after the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) recently accused the country’s National Consensus Commission of “deceiving” the people and political parties with its final recommendations on the July Charter, calling for its immediate correction by incorporating the notes of dissent.

“Whatever consensus we have reached will stand, and the people will decide the rest. If they agree, those decisions will be implemented,” Bangladesh’s newspaper The Daily Star quoted NCP Convener Nahid Islam as saying, while speaking at an event in Dhaka on Friday.

“The July charter order must be issued by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, keeping up with the mass uprising. There will be no note of dissent in the July charter,” he added.

The NCP leader further said, “The people are eagerly waiting for change. Everything — the uprising, the election, and the consensus commission — will fail without that change. If certain quarters or political parties alone benefit from the uprising, that is not real change.”

Nahid expressed hope to move towards the upcoming election after establishing a legal basis for the July charter.

Earlier this week, the NCP leader accused the BNP and the radical Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami, of blocking reform measures and conspiring to delay the February 2026 polls, local media reported.

Addressing a press conference in Dhaka, Nahid alleged that the BNP opposed the National Consensus Commission by submitting “notes of dissent” on key reform issues, fuelling doubts among the public and within the party’s own ranks about its reform commitment.

He further claimed that Jamaat’s actions indicated possible efforts to postpone the election.

“One party is obstructing reforms, while another is perhaps trying to postpone the election,” Nahid stated,

Last week, NCP’s chief coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary remarked that the BNP’s ‘note of dissent’ through the National Consensus Commission was in fact a “note of cheating”.

Bangladesh continues to face growing uncertainty and political turmoil ahead of next year’s election.

The parties that earlier collaborated with Yunus to overthrow the democratically elected government of the Awami League, led by Sheikh Hasina, are now at loggerheads over reform proposals.

–IANS

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