Dhaka: National Citizen Party (NCP) Member Secretary Akhter Hossain today said that the discussions of the Consensus Commission could have ended much earlier if the NCP had not insisted on keeping the country’s reform agenda as the main focus.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Akhter Hossain emphasized that while many had sought to prioritize electoral politics, the NCP’s steadfast attention to structural and constitutional reforms ensured that the nation’s broader interests were not sidelined. He was addressing the coordination meeting of the party’s Dhaka City North, Dhaka City South, and Dhaka District unit at Shahid Abu Sayed International Convention Centre at Shahbagh in the capital.
Akhter explained that journalists had approached the NCP months ago regarding their position in electoral politics. The party consistently maintained that focusing prematurely on electoral discussions would push aside the reform agenda, hindering Bangladesh’s development. He praised the media’s role in presenting reform discussions to the public and acknowledged the NCP’s active participation in these dialogues.
Akhter highlighted that all political parties eventually agreed on providing a legal basis for a public referendum to grant structural powers to the next parliament, thereby incorporating fundamental constitutional reforms. He credited the NCP’s demands for keeping the July Charter relevant and visible to the public, warning that any attempt to reduce the charter to a symbolic document would prompt public mobilization.
He criticized certain political parties for perpetuating feudalistic and undemocratic practices, urging all anti-fascist political groups, including the BNP and Jamaat, to prevent parties like the Awami League and National Party from regaining undue influence. The NCP’s focus on citizens’ welfare was emphasized, aiming to address concerns of working people, farmers, and the poor, ensuring social security, minimum wages, legal protection, and human dignity.
Akhter stressed the party’s opposition to politics dominated by muscle power, violence, and partisan disputes, advocating instead for policies that serve the people. Despite being a relatively young political party, he noted that public trust in the NCP has grown due to its principled stance.
He called upon party leaders and members to carry the NCP’s reform-driven vision to every household in Dhaka city and district to help shape a new, equitable Bangladesh. Senior Joint Convent Ariful Islam Adeeb, NCP Chief Organizer (Southern Region) Hasnat Abdullah, Chief Organizer (Northern Region) Sarjis Alam, Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary, and Senior Joint Chief Coordinator Abdul Hannan Masud also addressed the gathering.