BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed has accused Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus of violating the July Charter through his televised address to the nation.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday (November 13), Salahuddin made the allegation shortly after the Chief Adviser’s speech. However, he did not provide specific details on how the charter was breached. He added that the party’s official response would be released in the evening after consultations with senior leaders.
Salahuddin also criticized the idea of a Constitutional Reform Council, calling it a “new concept” that was never discussed in the Consensus Commission meetings.
Earlier on Thursday, in his address to the nation, Chief Adviser Dr Yunus explained that several key measures had been adopted to implement the July Charter. These include holding a nationwide referendum on constitutional reform proposals and forming a Constitutional Reform Council with elected representatives if the majority votes “Yes.” The council members will simultaneously serve as members of parliament.
Dr Yunus said the Constitutional Reform Council would complete the constitutional amendments within 180 working days from its first session. Following that, an upper house will be formed within 30 working days based on the proportion of votes received in the parliamentary election. The term of the upper house will last until the dissolution of the lower house.
He also confirmed that the referendum to implement the July Charter would be held on the same day as the national parliamentary election. BNP has previously called for a referendum to coincide with the election, while eight other parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami, had demanded a referendum before the polls.
