Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has submitted its proposals to National Consensus Commission on Sunday.
In its proposal, the party strongly opposed the inclusion of the July 2024 Uprising with same importance of the 1971 Liberation War in the preamble of the Constitution.
The party also opposed other proposals, including changing the name of the state, curbing the powers of the Election Commission, and the formation of a national constitution council.
While the BNP agreed with the proposal to introduce a bicameral parliament and increase the number of reserved seats for women, it expressed differing views on the procedural aspects of these changes.
A three-member BNP delegation, led by Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed, handed over the party's proposals to commission's Vice-Chairman Prof Dr Ali Riaz.
The BNP submitted written proposals regarding reforms in the Constitution, public administration, the judiciary, the electoral process and the Anti-Corruption Commission.
Speaking to reporters later, Salahuddin Ahmed said the preamble of the constitution has not been explicitly mentioned in the commission’s proposal. The preamble is a vital part of the Constitution and the commission's suggestion to completely alter or revise it is essentially akin to rewriting it, he said.
The BNP leader specifically objected to the proposal to equate the events of the 1971 Liberation War and the 2024 mass uprising within the same context.
He said BNP considers this inappropriate and suggested that such matters should either be addressed separately or placed in the schedule section of the Constitution.
Salahuddin Ahmed also said BNP supports the preamble as it existed prior to the 15th Amendment, rejecting the current proposal to change it.
Regarding the suggestion to alter the state’s name in the Constitution, he said the people of Bangladesh have long accepted the country's name through practice.
The BNP leader argued that changing the name would not bring any substantial benefits and thus the party remains firmly opposed to this alteration.
Bd-Pratidin English/ AM
