BNP rejects unsigned parts of July Charter: Fakhrul

“Our position is very clear. We will take responsibility for the parts of the July Charter that we signed. But we won’t take responsibility for what we didn’t sign,” he said while speaking at a rally of freedom fighters.

Fakhrul, however, said his party still wants these issues to be resolved through discussions.

He recalled that when the Charter was signed in front of Parliament amid rain, it was agreed that the points all political parties supported would be signed, and the points they disagreed on would be recorded as a ‘note of dissent’ in the Charter.

“We signed the Charter with that understanding. But now, in the proposal sent to the Chief Adviser, they have completely ignored those notes of dissent and added some new issues. This is unfair and deceptive to the people,” the BNP leader said.

Even after such deception by the National Consensus Commission, he said BNP acted responsibly. “We held a press conference to express our position. We didn’t take to the streets, lay siege to the Chief Adviser’s residence, or to the Election Commission.”

Fakhrul criticised Jamaat-e-Islami for what he said is taking to the streets and forming alliances with some parties to put pressure on the government to act as they wish.

The pro-BNP platform Jatiyatabadi Muktijoddha Dal organised the rally titled ‘The Upcoming National Parliament Election is Essential to Protect Freedom, Sovereignty and Democracy’ at the Jatiya Press Club, marking the upcoming National Revolution and Solidarity Day on November 7.

About the upcoming election, Fakhrul said it should be held in February 2026 as announced by Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus.

“Whether proportional representation (PR) will be introduced or not will be decided by the next parliament,” he said.

The BNP leader also said his party agreed to a referendum although it was not necessary. “We agreed to hold the referendum on the same day as the election to save costs. Holding it separately would cost over Tk 1,000 crore.”

He said their party proposed holding the election and the referendum on the same day with two ballots--one for the referendum and another for the election of parliament members.

“But now they (Jamaat) are saying the referendum should be held first, and the election later. It is they who are talking about delaying the election, not us. We have always said the election should be held as soon as possible,” Fakhrul said.

When Jamaat and other parties talked about reforms after the mass uprising, he said BNP took it positively as the party had already presented a 31-point reform plan in 2022.

“Our leaders have discussed it (310-point) across the country. Most of the points now included in the Charter are already part of our 31-point outline. So how can anyone say that we don’t want reforms?” the BNP leader said.

Fakhrul said it was wrong to claim that BNP does not support reforms. “We are in favour of reforms. But we want real reforms, not the kind of deceptive ones they are trying to push by misleading the public. We must make this clear before the people.”

He said Sheikh Hasina, who is now in India, has been giving interviews to different media outlets there without showing any sign of remorse for her misdeeds and killing of people, reports UNB. 

“Not even once has she expressed any regret. When journalists asked her if she would apologise for her actions, she said, ‘No, we will not apologise.’ That same person, that same lady, is now spreading propaganda from India,” he said.

He urged the Indian government to return Hasina to Bangladesh to face trial under Bangladeshi law. “We want to say clearly to the Indian government, please send her back to Bangladesh and ensure she faces trial under Bangladesh’s law. Do not always go against the people of Bangladesh. The people will not accept that.”