The second-round dialogue of the National Consensus Commission drags on without agreement as deep political polarisation continues to stall progress on some key issues.
From June 2, the NCC held eight sessions till June 25. The 30 political parties that attended the dialogue could only agree on reforming the constitution鈥檚 article 70 to allow lawmakers to vote against bills except those on finance and confidence motions and opposition lawmakers-led selective parliamentary standing committees.
However, there was no absolute consensus on reforming article 70 as Bangladesh Nationalist Party standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed made a note of dissent to bar the lawmakers from voting against bills related to constitutional amendment and national security in war-time situations.
Deep ideological and political divides have stalled progress on broader reform agendas. These include the state鈥檚 fundamental principles, limiting the prime minister鈥檚 term, appointment of key constitutional and statutory officials, the presidential election process, women鈥檚 representation in Jatiya Sangsad and the proposed upper house of a bicameral parliament.
Political analysts recently told 抖阴精品 that the complexities in the consensus dialogue were deepening the rifts among parties.
Professor K M Mahiuddin of Jahangirnagar University鈥檚 government and politics department observed that parties long opposed to the Awami League regime, whether individually or in alliance, became competitive with each other after the July uprising, a phenomenon now evident in the consensus dialogue.
鈥楽ome discussion topics, such as the state鈥檚 fundamental principles, have become deeply divisive to the competitive parties,鈥� Mahiuddin noted.
On June 19, the NCC placed the state鈥檚 fundamental principles on the agenda. Thirty political parties, including the BNP, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, National Citizen Party, Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Communist Party of Bangladesh, Ganosamhati Andolan, and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-JSD, took part in the session.
The BNP, its allies, and聽 religion-based parties, including the Jamaat, Islami Andolan Bangladesh, and Labour Party of Bangladesh, pushed for including 鈥榓bsolute trust and faith in Almighty Allah鈥� as a state principle, opposing secularism.
The Jamaat, Islami Andolan, and similar parties demanded replacing secularism with a religious foundation, while the BNP backed the 1979 Fifth Amendment, which had removed 鈥榮ecularism鈥� and 鈥榮ocialism鈥� from the 1972 constitution.
The Awami League had reinstated in the constitution the original principles -- nationalism, socialism, secularism, and democracy -- through the Fifteenth Amendment in 2011.
Left-leaning parties like the CPB and Socialist Party of Bangladesh defended the current principles.
In contrast, newer parties such as the NCP, AB Party, and Rashtra Sangskar Andolan backed the NCC-proposed principles -- equality, justice, human dignity, democracy, and religious harmony -- while calling for scrapping the existing ones.
Jamaat鈥檚 nayeb-e-amir said that the left鈥檚 support for socialism and secularism was ideologically consistent, just as Islamic parties鈥� push for religious principles reflected their beliefs and represented the country鈥檚 Muslim majority.
In response, parties like the Ganosamhati Andolan, Revolutionary Workers Party of Bangladesh, and Nagorik Oikya rejected any move that could steer the country towards a majoritarian state.
鈥楩or such a deeply contentious issue, our party has proposed a referendum,鈥� said Jamaat leader Taher.
Political analysts noted that party divisions over core principles also led to divided positions on other key issues, including the prime minister鈥檚 term limit, the presidential election process, and women鈥檚 representation in parliament.
In the dialogue, the BNP supported raising women鈥檚 reserved seats in Jatiya Sangsad to 100 but preferred the existing electoral process, while the Jamaat advocated for proportional representation. Religion-based parties opposed any increase in reserved seats, whereas left-leaning parties strongly supported expansion.
On the prime minister鈥檚 tenure, the BNP and its allies backed a 10-year term limit but turned down the idea of a constitutional council or appointment committee for selecting key constitutional and statutory officials.
In contrast, the CPB and SPB opposed the NCC-proposed appointment committee, while the Jamaat and other religion-based parties called for a high-powered, neutral body to oversee such appointments.
Political analyst and writer Altaf Parvez called the ongoing NCC dialogue a 鈥榤ockery鈥�, saying, 鈥楾he July uprising was about building an inclusive society, but the dialogue has exposed deeper divisions. The NCC should have avoided highly contentious issues to pave the way for a participatory national election.鈥�
Professor Samina Lutfa of sociology at Dhaka University, also a rights activist, too, expressed disappointment over the dialogue outcomes.
She observed that parties remained trapped in their manifestos.
鈥業t鈥檚 not irrational. They can鈥檛 compromise their political interests in public. The dialogue should鈥檝e been held behind closed doors, ideally facilitated by civic bodies, not the NCC. But nothing meaningful has come out of it. I doubt this ongoing dialogue will deliver any results,鈥� she said.