Bangladesh Nezame Islam Party leaders on Monday recommended the abolition of all municipal bodies and union parishads across the country and adjunct the wards under those bodies directly with upazila parishads concerned.
Discussing with the National Consensus Commission at the LD Hall of Jatiya Sangsad, the party recommended strengthening the ward-based governance to eliminate discrimination at the grassroots level of the city corporations, municipalities and union parishads.
NCC vice-chair Ali Riaz presided over the discussion while the other commission members -- Justice Md Emdadul Haque, Badiul Alam Majumdar, Safar Raj Hossain, Iftekharuzzaman -- and the chief adviser鈥檚 special assistant Monir Haidar were present.
BNIP secretary general, maulana Musa Bin Izhar, briefing journalists after the discussion, said that his party opposes the Public Administration Reform Commission-proposed city government.
Earlier, the reform commission proposed a capital city government with its jurisdiction over the Dhaka city, Tongi, Keraniganj, Savar and Narayanganj areas.
In the discussion with the NCC, BNIP leaders agreed to 155 of the166 recommendations made by the five reform commissions covering the constitution, electoral system, judiciary, public administration, and Anti-Corruption Commission.
Saying that the party disagreed to a few issues, Musa said, 鈥楾he word 鈥減luralism鈥� has been proposed as one of the fundamental principles of the constitution. Since this word may hurt religious sentiments or spark controversies, we have recommended avoiding the use of the word.鈥�
He said his party has recommended reinstating 鈥楾rust and faith in Almighty Allah鈥� in the constitution.
Opposing the Constitution Reform Commission-proposed 21 years as the minimum age of an eligible lawmaker, Musa said that his party has proposed the age to be 18 years as a citizen is eligible to vote at 18.
The party has also recommended increasing the size of a caretaker government from the proposed 15-member to 25-member.
The party鈥檚 senior nayeb-e-ameer Abdul Mazed Athari led an eight-member delegation to the discussion.
To the morning session of the NCC-hosted dialogue, Social Democratic Party convener Abul Kalam Azad led a 20-member delegation of the Democratic Left Unity that comprises the Social Democratic Party, Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (ML), Samajtantrik Majdur Party and Pragatishil Ganatantrik Dal.
The left-leaning alliance recommended that the local government elections be held after the next Jatiya Sangsad elections.
While the alliance attended the NCC dialogue with the biggest-ever delegation of 20 members, the alliance leaders failed to answer journalists鈥� questions regarding the reforms.
Today, the Communist Party of Bangladesh is scheduled to meet the NCC at the same venue.
Beginning on March 20, the NCC held such dialogues with 31 political parties till Monday.
