Dhaka, Feb 17 (.) Bangladesh’s new ruling party, BNP’s Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed, on Tuesday said the outfit has pledged to uphold the July National Charter as a “document of political compromise”.
“We are committed and pledged to uphold the July National Charter as a document of political compromise, to the letter.”
Ahmed spoke to reporters after the first meeting of the BNP parliamentary party at the National Parliament Building.

The meeting was chaired by BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman who was unanimously elected as the leader of parliament and later took oath as the country’s new prime minister.
Regarding what transpired in the meeting between the party chief and the parliamentarians, he said Rahman gave BNP members two specific instructions – No duty-free car facilities for parliamentarians, and no government plots.
The BNP leader remarked, “Change has started from today. It will no longer be the case that an MP will be above everyone just by becoming a member of parliament in this country.”
At the oath taking ceremony, the BNP standing committee member told his party MP’s that they were elected only as members of parliament, not as members of the Constitution Reform Council, and said “If the constitution is amended according to the referendum verdict, if the oath form for the members of the Constitution Reform Council is added to the Third Schedule of the Constitution, and if it is determined who will administer the oath, then the oath can be taken as a member of the Constitution Reform Council.”
The newly elected members of the BNP did not take the oath as members of the Constitutional Reform Council, putting the implementation of the charter on hold.
At the swearing-in ceremony of MPs, two forms were laid out for taking the oath. One was white, which was the form to take the oath as a member of parliament. The other was blue, which was the form to take the oath as a member of the Constitutional Reform Council.
Regarding the reason for not taking the oath, Ahmed said, “To reflect the will of the people according to the referendum verdict, we must first go to parliament. The necessary laws and the constitution must be amended in parliament.” . . .