BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed on Wednesday said that they do not expect biased behaviour from the National Consensus Commission (NCC), adding that the party wants to see the interim government play the role of a caretaker government.

He said the interim government should act impartially so that the nation can have confidence in all its actions. He also expressed disappointment over several steps taken by both the National Consensus Commission and the government.

Speaking at a seminar titled “From Rule by Power to Rule of Law,” organised by the BNP on Wednesday (October 29) morning at a hotel in Dhaka’s Gulshan, Salahuddin said, “For a long time, we believed that the National Consensus Commission was playing the role of a referee. However, one of the signatories of the recommendation submitted to the government yesterday was also the Chief Adviser and the Commission’s Chairman. That automatically becomes an endorsement for the government. But we have never seen a referee favour one side.”

He added, “During discussions with the National Consensus Commission, it seemed to me that the Commission, the government, and two or three other parties were acting together as one side, while I was playing the role of the opposition. In that context, we tried to act on behalf of the nation. But somehow, it felt as if the proposals of certain parties and the Commission’s own ideas were being imposed on the nation by force.”

Criticising the Commission’s recommendations, the BNP leader said, “The way consensus was reached in the National Consensus Commission and the historic document signed on October 17 at Parliament’s South Plaza are not included in the Commission’s records. Only the Commission’s proposals and the political parties’ recommendations are there. There is no mention of how the consensus was achieved or where the notes of dissent are.”

On the issue of a referendum, Salahuddin said, “Since the July National Charter was formulated, a referendum could be held on that single question — on the same day as the election. Our reasoning was that holding it on the same day would increase voter participation, as candidates would bring voters to the polls. With the same cost and arrangement, the referendum could be conducted through a small additional ballot. We made that proposal at the time, and except for one or two parties, all others agreed with it.”