National Citizen Party (NCP) convener and opposition chief whip Nahid Islam on Sunday declared the first session of the national parliament ‘a failure’, saying the government sidelined reform discussions in favour of running the house on its own terms, betraying the core spirit of the July uprising.

“The first session was supposed to deliberate on how the various reform proposals would be implemented. Instead, the government conducted parliament as it pleased. If this continues, taking to the streets with the people will be our only option,” Nahid said at the closing session of NCP's national convention on ‘Energy, Economy, Human Rights, Reform and Referendum’ at the Diploma Engineers Institute in Kakrail.

Reflecting on Bangladesh's democratic deficit, he said the country has been struggling to fulfil its democratic aspirations for 54 years. “After the Liberation War, democracy was supposed to take root. Instead, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman buried it by establishing BAKSAL. BNP spoke of multiparty democracy, but after the election we see they are deceiving the people.”

On constitutional reform, Nahid reiterated NCP's firm position on establishing an upper house and power balance in parliament. “Every government that comes to power amends the constitution to suit itself. That is why we need checks and balances in parliament, including a referendum mechanism for constitutional changes. Constitutional bodies must not be partidised, and the prime minister should not hold unilateral appointment powers. A caretaker government must be formed with consensus across parties, and the judiciary must be separated. But even these alone will not establish a truly democratic state.”

He warned that piecemeal amendment of the constitution would not be durable. Criticising BNP's approach, he said altering the constitution's fundamental principles without structural reform risked reversal at any time. “I said in parliament, Ziaur Rahman made this historic mistake. As a result, the door remains open to bring back Awami League's ideology and politics in the name of continuity from the 1972 constitution.”

He also argued that notes of dissent attached to the July Charter undermine its effectiveness as a binding document. “Since this is meant to be a historic document, notes of dissent were separately appended on the very day it was signed. If whichever party comes to power implements it according to its own manifesto, the charter loses its force, and that is precisely why the referendum demand has emerged.”

Nahid called on all stakeholders to enshrine the July Charter in the constitution without delay and to implement the ideals of July without disrupting the country's democratic transition.