NCP Member Secretary Akhter Hossain today spoke at a coordination meeting at Shahid Abu Sayed International Convention Centre at Shahbagh in the capital. Photo : BSS

DHAKA, Oct 24, 2025 (BSS) — 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. 

“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 said.

Akhter Hossain 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 said, “Journalists approached us months ago asking about our position in electoral politics. We always maintained that if the electoral discussions were made the main focus prematurely, the reform agenda would be pushed aside and Bangladesh would not receive the development it deserves.”

He added that it was the duty of the media to present the reform discussions to the public and praised the NCP for actively participating in these dialogues.

Akhter said all political parties eventually agreed on providing legal basis for a public referendum to grant structural powers to the next parliament, thereby incorporating fundamental constitutional reforms. 

“It is due to the NCP’s demands that the July Charter remains relevant and visible to the public. Without our intervention, its implementation might have been obscured,” he added.

He urged the government to clarify the legal foundation and implementation process of the July Charter without further delay. “Any attempt to reduce the charter to a mere symbolic document, as had happened in the past, would compel the NCP to mobilize the public and announce subsequent steps,” said Akhter.

Akhter Hossain also criticized the role of certain political parties in perpetuating feudalistic and undemocratic practices. He called upon all anti-fascist political groups, including the BNP and Jamaat, to ensure that parties like the Awami League and National Party do not regain undue influence in the country.

Highlighting the NCP’s focus on citizens’ welfare, he said the party seeks to address the concerns of working people, farmers, and the poor, ensuring social security, minimum wages, legal protection, and human dignity. 

He stressed that the party opposes politics dominated by muscle power, violence, and partisan disputes, advocating instead for policies that serve the people.

Akhter also said, “While the NCP is a relatively young political party, public trust in the party has grown due to its principled stance.”

He urged 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, among others, on the occasion.