BNP angry at omission of Mujib portrait issue in July Charter
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has resented over the exclusion of a key proposal – to scrap the rule mandating the display of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s portrait in all government and private offices – from the July National Charter.
Speaking at a press conference at the BNP Chairperson’s office in Gulshan, Dhaka, on Thursday, October 30, Fakhrul accused the drafters of the Charter of making “unauthorised changes” to previously agreed clauses.
“We have noticed in the printed version of the July National Charter that several clauses, which were agreed upon through consensus, have been altered without our knowledge,” Fakhrul said.
He claimed that almost all political parties, during the discussions facilitated by the National Consensus Commission (NCC), had supported the proposal to abolish the requirement of hanging the portrait of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at government and private institutions. “However, despite this clear consensus, the clause has mysteriously disappeared from the final document,” he said.
Fakhrul further alleged that the finalised Charter also includes a modified version of another sensitive provision – Article 150 of the Constitution – which the parties had unanimously agreed to abolish. “This article has been changed in the final draft secretly, without any consultation or transparency,” he said, calling the move “a breach of trust and an affront to the spirit of national consensus.”
The BNP leader demanded clarification from the National Consensus Commission on how these changes were made and urged the interim government to restore the omitted clauses.
The July National Charter, a key political document outlining broad reforms and principles for governance under the current interim administration, was formulated with input from various political parties and civic groups.
However, the BNP’s fresh objections have now raised questions about the integrity of the final drafting process and the inclusivity of the political dialogue that led to its formation.
KH/MSU/NMA