Dhaka, Oct 30 (V7N)- Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said that holding a referendum before the national election is impossible, unreasonable, and reckless, considering the time, cost, and large-scale logistical arrangements required. He also declared that the BNP will not accept any decision to hold a referendum separately from the polling day.

He made these remarks at a press conference held at the BNP Chairperson’s office in Gulshan on Thursday (October 30) afternoon.

Mirza Fakhrul said, “A referendum may be held on the points proposed by the Consensus Commission, but the opinions and notes of dissent from political parties included in the July Charter have been ignored. This shows an attempt to unilaterally impose the commission’s recommendations on the nation.”

He alleged that such actions render the year-long discussions between political parties and the Reform and Consensus Commission “meaningless, farcical, and a betrayal of the nation.”

The BNP leader further stated that the interim government has no legal authority to provide legitimacy to the July Charter and that the commission failed to respect the democratic rights of political parties.

Criticizing one of the proposed reform clauses, Fakhrul said, “According to the proposal, if reforms are not completed within 270 days from the first session, the constitutional reform bill approved in the referendum will automatically be included in the constitution. This is absurd and violates parliamentary sovereignty.”

He added that no law can automatically become part of the constitution without the approval of the National Assembly and assent of the President, emphasizing that such a process would be contrary to democratic norms.

END/SMA/AJ