Commission wants to give concrete form to mass uprising aspiration: Ali Riaz

National Consensus Commission Vice-Chairman Professor Ali Riaz has said the commission wants to give a concrete form of public aspiration ignited through the mass uprising of July–August 2024.

He made these remarks during a discussion between the National Consensus Commission and the Bangladesh Socialist Party (BASAD) held at LD Hall of the National Parliament Building in Dhaka on Thursday (May 15).

“We want that the idea of national consensus be reflected in a national charter. Every political party in the future will contribute to achieving the goals and objectives outlined in this charter,” Prof Ali Riaz said.

Citing that the initiative by the Consensus Commission reflects a long-standing aspiration of Bangladesh, he said: “The mass uprising of July–August last year expressed not only the people’s long-held grievances, but also their aspirations. The people of this country do not want repeated resurgences of fascism. We want to build a state where everyone will enjoy equal rights, citizens’ rights will be guaranteed, and there will be respect for ideological diversity.”

The commission’s vice-chairman further said: “The commission is working toward building consensus through discussions with political parties based on recommendations received from various reform commissions. This is not solely the responsibility of the National Consensus Commission. Political parties must reflect the people’s aspirations and move forward on the path to the future.”

Members of the commission Justice Md Emdadul Hoque, Dr Badiul Alam Majumdar, Safar Raj Hossain, Dr Iftekharuzzaman, Md Ayub Miah, and Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser Monir Haidar were present during the discussion.