Left parties boycott NCC meeting over constitutional principles

On the 23rd day of the second phase of discussions with the National Consensus Commission, several left-wing political parties, including the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Jasad), Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (BSD), and Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (Marxist), boycotted a meeting at 9:10pm on Thursday at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital. 

The boycott was in protest of the alleged omission of the four foundational principles of the 1972 Constitution – nationalism, socialism, democracy, and secularism.

During the final day of the second phase, the commission proposed amending the state governance section of the Constitution to include “equality, human dignity, social justice, and religious freedom and harmony.” The left parties, however, claimed this proposal excluded the core principles of the 1972 Constitution, prompting their walkout.

After the boycott, representatives of the left-wing parties briefed the media, reiterating their concerns and demanding that the original constitutional principles be upheld in the discussions.