Dhaka, Nov 3 (IANS) As political conflict intensifies in Bangladesh ahead of next year’s election, the National Citizen Party (NCP) accused the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (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 on Sunday afternoon, NCP Convener Nahid Islam alleged that the BNP opposed the country’s 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,” Bangladesh’s leading newspaper, The Daily Star, quoted Nahid as saying.
The NCP leader criticised BNP and Jamaat for engaging in a row over whether the referendum should be held before the election or on the polling day, calling the arguments ”unnecessary and unproductive”.
“The key issues and main points of debate are which reforms will be included in the charter, what proposals will be made, their legal basis, and whether Muhammad Yunus will issue the implementation order. If consensus is reached on these points, the referendum can be held on election day or even earlier,” he added.
Nahid further said that the NCP wants the February election to be held as scheduled, while calling for a legal framework to implement the July charter.
“We believe the (July charter implementation) order should be issued within this month. The referendum can take place on election day or even earlier,” he stressed.
Last week, NCP’s chief coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary accused the Jamaat and the BNP of jointly pushing the country into uncertainty at a time of national crisis, the former over proportional representation in the lower house of parliament and the latter through notes of dissent on the July charter.
“We call on Jamaat not to create panic in the public over the referendum. Instead, we should focus on how we can reach a solution regarding the dissent process, how orders can be issued,” he stressed.
Furthermore, the NCP leader remarked that the BNP’s ‘note of dissent’ through the Bangladesh 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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