POBNEWS24, Dhaka July 27, 2025 : Tensions have arisen in the meeting of the National Consensus Commission with political parties over the principles of running the state. The leftist parties are in favor of adding the commission’s proposed ‘equality, human dignity, social justice, democracy and religious freedom and harmony’ while maintaining the existing ‘nationalism, socialism, democracy and secularism’.
CPB, BSD, BSD-Marxist and Bangladesh JSD have said they will boycott the dialogue talks if the existing principles are dropped.
BNP and Jamaat have said that they will keep ‘unwavering trust and faith in Allah’ added to the commission’s proposal through the Fifth Amendment. NCP agrees with the commission’s proposal.
Representatives of the parties raised their objections on the 19th day of the second phase of the commission’s dialogue with political parties at the capital’s Foreign Service Academy on Sunday. There was some heated exchange of views at the commission’s meeting on this.
During the lunch break, CPB General Secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince told reporters, “It is not possible to reach a consensus on the fundamental principles of the constitution. Because, there are people of different ideologies here. The people will decide on this matter; the political parties will go to the people, they will decide.”
He said, “There are many imperfections in our constitution, which was achieved through the liberation war. That is why we are discussing so that it can be completed. But it is not possible to make concessions on the question of fundamental principles.”
Raising an alternative proposal, Prince said, the fundamental principles of state governance can be written like this. Equality, human dignity, social justice, and religious freedom and harmony can be added to the four fundamental principles of state governance in the constitution (according to the 72nd constitution—nationalism, socialism, democracy, and secularism).
At this time, the CPB leader expressed his expectation of responsible behavior from the commission.
In the discussion regarding the commission’s proposed principles, BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed said, “We have no objection to the commission’s proposed principles of the state. Rather, this is our proposal.”
Jamaat Naib Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher said, “We are not able to make a strong statement on this issue in the dialogue. We have to hear questions from our workers and supporters about this. The leftists speak strongly about them, but we remain silent. If the election comes, their statement will not hold. That is why we are not making a strong statement.”
In the same context, NCP member secretary Akhtar Hossain said, “Our party’s position is to cancel everything that was before (principles). We are with the proposal given by the commission. We do not want to go back to the previous arguments.’
Abul Hasan Rubel, executive coordinator of the Mass Solidarity Movement, said, ‘The principles of the liberation war—equality, human dignity, social justice, democracy and religious freedom—have been proposed for inclusion in the constitution, especially in the context of the possibility of repealing the 15th Amendment.’
Shahadat Hossain Selim, chairman of the Bangladesh Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), said, ‘We have been discussing the principles of the state for the last four days.
