‘Do not expect biased behavior from consensus commission’

BNP has expressed disappointment with the various actions of the National Consensus Commission and the interim government, said BNP Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed on Wednesday.

“We do not expect biased behavior from the consensus commission. We want to see the interim government in the role of a caretaker government.”

While speaking at a seminar at a city hotel, Salahuddin said the document signed by political parties at the South Plaza of the National Parliament was supposed to manifest the issues discussed with the Commission, but that consistency is missing.

The charter attached a schedule proposing amendments to 48 articles of the Constitution, which would be subject to a national referendum. “If this was their plan all along, then what was the point of holding 11 months of discussions under the Commission?” he asked.

Reflecting on his own experience with the Commission, Salahuddin said, “I often felt isolated, as if I alone was on the opposing side. It seemed the Commission and several parties tried to impose their decisions.”

He alleged that both the Commission and some political parties attempted to impose “unconsidered decisions” on the nation, while the BNP represented the voice of the people.

“I was the first to suggest holding a referendum alongside the national election and most political parties agreed with me then. But the 48 constitutional points now set for a referendum were never discussed with the commission,” the BNP leader added.