Dhaka, Mar 23 (V7N) – The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has strongly opposed the Consensus Commission's recommendation to place the 2024 coup in the same constitutional category as the 1971 Liberation War. The party's Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed expressed BNP’s stance while presenting its opinion to the National Consensus Commission on Saturday afternoon.

Salahuddin Ahmed emphasized that BNP is not in favor of altering the fundamental principles of the constitution. He argued that there is no justification for replacing a "People’s Republic" with a "Civic System." However, he acknowledged that the country has lost its democratic character, making constitutional amendments necessary. Despite this, BNP does not support holding a Constituent Assembly vote to address the issue.

On the matter of Election Commission (EC) reforms, Salahuddin pointed out concerns regarding the NID (National Identity) system. He stated, "If the NID remains under a separate institution, the EC will have to depend on another body frequently. Under the Awami League government, the NID was placed under the Ministry of Home Affairs, and this law has not been repealed yet. It should be revoked and restored under the EC."

He also stressed that delimitation of constituencies falls under the constitutional jurisdiction of the Election Commission. He noted a minor printing error in the EC law, which has been reported to the Law Ministry but has not yet been corrected. Due to this, the commission has been unable to hold hearings on the issue, potentially causing complications in organizing future elections.

The National Consensus Commission began its formal dialogue on March 20 to finalize reform commission recommendations. On the first day, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) participated, agreeing with 120 out of 166 recommendations proposed by the commission.

On March 21, representatives from the Khilafat Majlis and the Labor Party joined discussions. BNP's meeting with the commission on March 23 was part of this ongoing consultation process.

Earlier, on March 6, the Consensus Commission sent letters to 37 political parties, seeking their opinions on key constitutional, electoral, administrative, anti-corruption, and judicial reform proposals. As part of this initiative, the commission continues to engage with political parties to build consensus on the future structure of Bangladesh’s governance.

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