The BNP said it has agreed with most of the proposals of National Consensus Commission regarding constitutional and judicial reform.
After the first day of discussions on Thursday of National Consensus Commission at the LD Hall of the Jatiya Sangsad, BNP Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed said to the media, "In the first phase of the discussion, we discussed constitutional reform, and in the second phase, we discussed the judicial reform. The remaining points will be discussed on next Sunday."
The Consensus Commission is holding talks as part of the series of dialogues with political parties to reach a national consensus over the state reform initiatives taken by the interim government.
A BNP delegation joined the talks that started at 10:35am with Vice-Chairman of the National Consensus Commission Prof Ali Riaz in the chair.
Salahuddin said, "There are 131 proposals in the constitutional reform, we got only 70 points in the spreadsheet. We will try to come to a conclusion through discussions on the basic proposals they have given for the constitutional reform."
He said that, we have agreed on almost all proposal of the National Consensus Commission. I cannot point out all the issue right now but we have agreed on various issues including the preamble of the constitution, the Republic, the basic principles of state governance and fundamental rights."
"We have agreed with 25 proposals, given partial support to 25 proposals and made disagreements with the remaining 16 proposals regarding The Constitutional Reform Proposala of the National Consensus Commission," Salahuddin said.
He said, "The committee has assured us to reconsider our proposals and we also discuss some issues which we disagreed with them in our Party forum."
"We have given our opinion on Article 70 of the Constitution. They have also given their opinion," said Salahuddin.
He said, "In the political culture of Bangladesh, if Article 70 is made free in all areas except for money bills, then the stability of the government will be threatened and government will face many obstacles in running the state."
Salahuddin Ahmed said their party is trying to reach a consensus through discussions on the National Consensus Commission's core proposals on constitutional reforms.
"BNP is serious about reforms. That's why we are actively engaging in discussions with the commission to reach a consensus," he said while speaking to journalists during a break in dialogue with the National Consensus Commission at the LD Hall of the Jatiya Sangsad.
He said the National Consensus Commission's spreadsheet was "misleading" and created "unnecessary confusion" about the party's intentions.
"The format caused confusion and misled the public about our positions. The discussions are happening point by point, not through simplistic yes-no answers," the BNP leader explained.
He said they submitted a hard copy on Thursday, and detailed discussions are going on based on that.
"We have started with constitutional reforms, and will move on to the judiciary and electoral issues next. We want the dialogue to continue even if it doesn't conclude today, we're open to further discussions. We want to show how serious BNP is about reforms," Salahuddin said.
He said their discussions cover a wide range of issues, from the preamble to the fundamental principles of the state, aiming to find solutions that serve the national interest.
Salahuddin Ahmed said although the detailed report of the Constitution Reform Commission contains 131 proposals, the spreadsheet provided by the National Consensus Commission listed only 70. "We are engaging in discussions with the commission point by point."
He said the BNP would hold thorough discussions on every aspect, starting from the Constitution's preamble to the principles of the Republic and the state's fundamental policies.
On judicial reform, Salahuddin claimed the BNP's proposals were misrepresented in the commission's summaries. "Our judicial reform suggestions, particularly regarding appointments, have been mischaracterised. We want reform - but it must follow constitutional procedures."
The BNP leader said their party wants judicial independence, but reforms must align with constitutional norms.
Salahuddin said if today's meeting does not conclude the discussions the party is willing to sit again. "We want to make it clear that BNP is very serious about genuine reform."
Another Standing Committee Member Nazrul Islam Khan delivered the opening remarks at the outset of the marathon talks.
"We have another opportunity before us, and we want to seize it. We are cooperating with this commission and this government with that expectation in mind," he said.
Pointing at the BNP's 31-point reform agenda Nazrul Islam Khan said even if there would be no reform charter by the National Consensus Commission, BNP has its own charter and that is the charter for reform.
"So, we are in favour of reform. We would like to say only one thing that the people are at the root of everything. Everything should be done with the consent of the people. And we know through whom the people give their consent," he said.
Nazrul Islam said, Focusing on different reform programmes and initiatives taken by BNP and the past BNP governments, Nazrul Islam said they told the Chief Adviser on Wednesday that no political party in Bangladesh has carried out more reforms than BNP. "So, BNP is not against reform it is a reform-oriented party," he said.
On March 20 last, the National Consensus Commission opened its dialogues with political parties aiming to build a national consensus on the reform initiatives undertaken by the interim government. The commission has already held talks with 11 political parties.
The National Consensus Commission, formed under the leadership of Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, aims to establish a unified stance on critical reforms. Since its inception on February 15, 2025, the commission has been working to finalise recommendations for the state reform proposals.
In the initial phase, key recommendations from five reform commissions covering constitutional, public administration, electoral system, judiciary, and anti-corruption reforms were compiled and shared with 39 political parties for their feedback. To date, 34 parties have responded.
The commission has already held talks with 11 political parties.
The National Consensus Commission is working to build a national consensus over reform initiatives by mid-July next, by completing the first round of talks with political parties by the first week of May next and entering the second round of talks in the second week of May.
Other BNP delegation members are BNP Chairperson's Advisory Council member Ismail Jabiullah, former establishment secretary Abu Mohammad Moniruzzaman and former general secretary of the Supreme Court Bar Association Barrister Ruhul Kuddus Kajal.
Consensus Commission members Safar Raj Hossain, Justice Emadul Haque, Badiul Alam Majumdar and Dr Iftekharuzzaman were present at the discussion moderated by Chief Adviser's Special Assistant Monir Haider.
The Consensus Commission arranged the talks as part of the series of dialogues with political parties to reach a national consensus over the state reform initiatives taken by the interim government.
