National Consensus Commission Vice-Chairman Professor Ali Riaz has said through the mass uprising of July–August 2024, a surge of public aspiration was ignited, and the commission wants to give that a concrete form.
The idea of national consensus should be reflected in a national charter. Every political party in the future will contribute to achieving the goals and objectives outlined in this charter. The initiative by the Consensus Commission reflects a long-standing aspiration of Bangladesh.
He made these remarks on Thursday, at the beginning of a discussion between the National Consensus Commission and the Bangladesh Socialist Party (BASAD) held at LD Hall of the National Parliament Building in Dhaka.
Members of the commission present during the discussion were Justice Md Emdadul Hoque, Dr Badiul Alam Majumdar, Safar Raj Hossain, Dr Iftekharuzzaman, Md Ayub Miah, and Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser Monir Haidar.
Referring to the new political landscape of Bangladesh as a result of the long-standing struggle of the country’s people and political forces, Ali Riaz said: “The mass uprising of July–August last year expressed not only the people's long-held grievances, but also their aspirations. The people of this country do not want repeated resurgences of fascism. We want to build a state where everyone will enjoy equal rights, citizens' rights will be guaranteed, and there will be respect for ideological diversity.”
The commission’s vice-chairman further said: “The commission is working toward building consensus through discussions with political parties based on recommendations received from various reform commissions. This is not solely the responsibility of the National Consensus Commission. Political parties must reflect the people’s aspirations and move forward on the path to the future.”
The 11-member delegation of the Bangladesh Socialist Party, led by General Secretary Bazlur Rashid Firoz and Joint General Secretary Razekuzzaman Ratan, included Nikhil Das, Janardan Dutta Nantu, Engineer Shampa Basu, Dr Manisha Chakrabarty, Zulfikar Ali, Ahsan Habib Bulbul, Khalequzzaman Lipon, Abu Naeem Khan Biplob, and Rahat Ahmed.