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Published : 19 Feb 2026, 07:02 PM
National Citizen Party (NCP) Convenor Nahid Islam has accused the BNP of "betraying the reform process" by failing to take the oath of the Constitution Reform Council.
He made the remark during a press conference at his party’s Banglamotor office on Thursday afternoon.
"By providing a flawed interpretation and using the Constitution as a pretext, they have refused to take the oath as members of the Constitution Reform Council," he said.
“We believe this is a betrayal of the reforms. It is a betrayal of the aspirations of the 'New Bangladesh' and a display of utter defiance toward the public mandate delivered in the referendum."
Nahid hopes the BNP will soon take the oath and participate in implementing constitutional amendments to ensure a democratic reform of Bangladesh.
"Otherwise, Bangladesh will essentially remain the same as before," he said.
"It will remain within that same autocratic structure - the Bangladesh of Awami League and Sheikh Hasina - only with different people operating the state machinery. Surely, that is not what we want."
The NCP convenor alleged "regional discrimination" limited the participation of youth in the cabinet, which was not "inclusive".
Highlighting that the average age of the new ministers is 60, he said: "We envisioned and spoke of a youth-centred Bangladesh. We have not seen a reflection of that in this cabinet."
He called it “alarming” that nearly 62 percent of the ministers or state ministers in this cabinet are businessmen.
"Being a businessman is not a crime, but the cabinet should be representative; it should include politicians and people from across professions,” he said.
“When you award over half the positions - 62 percent - to businessmen, they will naturally protect business interests as ministers and state ministers."
Nahid said the ministry with the largest budget was handed to someone who is a real estate businessman and an accused in a murder case.
“... he was given that ministry solely for financial, business, and corrupt motives," he alleged.
Citing Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), Nahid stated that 62 percent of BNP lawmakers are "loan defaulters" with a combined debt of Tk 188 billion.
“Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is speaking about a zero-tolerance policy against corruption, but when will his own cabinet and his own members of parliament repay their massive debts? The people of Bangladesh want to know; the citizens of Bangladesh demand an answer,” he said.
