BNP, NCP exchange got heated during Monday's meeting with CA Yunus
Although the meeting was primarily meant to prioritise discussions on the reform proposals by the Consensus Commission, most of the discussion centred around whether the 13th national election would be held in December this year or next year
Leaders of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and National Citizen Party (NCP) exchanged heated verbal arguments during a meeting with Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus-led National Consensus Commission yesterday (2 June).
Although the meeting was primarily meant to prioritise discussions on the reform proposals by the Consensus Commission, most of the discussion centred around whether the 13th national election would be held in December this year or next year.
The meeting, held at the Foreign Service Academy, marked the beginning of the second round of talks between political parties and the Consensus Commission. It was attended by a three-member BNP delegation, led by Salahuddin Ahmed, and another three-member NCP delegation led by its Convener Nahid Islam.
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At the beginning of the meeting, the chief adviser greeted all political parties and thanked them for pushing forward the discussions with the commission. After delivering a brief speech lasting about four minutes, he and the commission members listened to the statements from the political parties.
Speaking on behalf of the BNP, Salahuddin clearly stated, "BNP is not willing to allow even a single day beyond 31 December for holding the election."
He argued that apart from constitutional reform, other necessary reforms could be implemented within a month.
Later, Nahid said, "Some parties, aligning with India, want elections to be held within December. There is no difference between their statements and the statements by India. They are echoing India's position on the elections."
In response to this, Salahuddin became agitated and said, "If wanting elections within December means aligning with India's tone, then those who want to delay the elections must also be speaking in line with the US or UK."
At least six people who attended the meeting confirmed to The Business Standard that the exchange then led to a heated argument between the delegations of the two parties.
Wishing to be anonymous, a senior leader of a political party told TBS, "Although the discussion was supposed to emphasise reforms, arguments happened over the timing of the election. A debate occurred between BNP and NCP regarding whether the election should take place within December."
"Some smaller parties joined the discussions only to echo the BNP's stance. They had no independent opinion of their own. Instead of focusing on what is best for the country, they appear more concerned about the timing of the election," the leader said.
Another political party leader told TBS, "Although the focus was meant to be on reforms and judicial matters, the discussion mostly revolved around the election timeline. If BNP, being such a major party, remains rigid about holding the election within December, that is not ideal.
"If reforms require time until June, what's the harm in allowing the government that time? This led to the debate between BNP and NCP during the meeting."
After the meeting, Salahuddin told reporters, "We believe it is possible to hold the national election within December. We should urgently identify the reforms necessary to ensure an election, especially the election-focused ones, and implement them through consensus."
"There is no reform that cannot be implemented within a month. Apart from constitutional amendments, all other reforms that have consensus support can be executed through executive orders within a month," he said.
He added, "There is no valid reason for the election to be held after December. We have been able to convey that point and have once again proposed this approach."
Following the meeting, Nahid told reporters, "It is not right to announce the election date before the implementation of the July Charter. If the election date is announced before that, it could hinder the reform process."
"We have called on everyone to wait — we've waited 16 years, then another 10 months, so we are willing to wait another two months and give the government time to act collectively with all political parties," he said.
Nahid further said, "For a fair election, it is crucial to reform the electoral system. We have demanded the restructuring of the Election Commission and amendments to the election-related laws."
