Chief Adviser has violated July Charter he himself signed: Salahuddin Ahmed

BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed has alleged that the Chief Adviser of the interim government, Professor Muhammad Yunus, has violated the July National Charter that he himself signed.

He said that the Chief Adviser breached the charter—signed by him on 17 October at the South Plaza of the National Parliament Building—through his recent address.

Earlier today, Thursday at 2:30pm, Professor Muhammad Yunus delivered a speech to the nation. Shortly afterward, Salahuddin Ahmed gave this immediate reaction to Prothom Alo.

In his address, Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus informed the nation about the process of implementing the July National Charter or the reform proposals.

He stated that the national parliamentary election and the referendum would be held on the same day. The Parliament would be bicameral. Based on the proportion of votes received by the political parties in the national election, a 100-member upper house would be formed, and any amendment to the Constitution would require approval from the majority of the upper house members.

Regarding this, BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed said that the matter of an upper house in the National Parliament had already been settled through a “note of dissent” by the PR National Consensus Commission. Therefore, there is no scope to impose it again.

He further added that the body named the “Constitutional Reform Council” was not discussed at any stage of the National Consensus Commission’s deliberations on forming such a body within Parliament. It is an entirely new concept.

Salahuddin Ahmed, who represented the BNP in the lengthy dialogue of the National Consensus Commission with political parties, said that the party would issue an official reaction to the Chief Adviser’s speech. An emergency meeting of the party’s Standing Committee will be held tonight.