Four leftist parties refuse to sign July Charter

Ahead of the July National Charter signing ceremony, four leftist parties have announced they will not sign the charter unless a revised draft addressing their concerns is issued.

The parties are- Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (BASOD), Basod (Marxist), and Bangladesh JASOD.

The decision was announced at a press conference on Thursday afternoon at the CPB office in Purana Paltan, Dhaka, where the parties demanded amendments to the charter prior to the signing ceremony.

Basod General Secretary Bazlur Rashid Firoz, reading from a written statement, said, “The chief adviser had emphasised during the inauguration of the Consensus Commission that only matters agreed upon by all parties would be considered as consensus. We participated in all commission meetings and shared our opinions. However, the final copy of the July Charter sent to us on 14 October included proposals as notes of dissent that were not properly documented with their reasons.”

The leftist parties criticised the charter for misrepresenting the history of Bangladesh’s Liberation War, independence, and political movements, stating that despite repeated requests, their suggested corrections were not incorporated.

As a result, CPB, Basod, Basod (Marxist), and JASOD have withheld their signatures until the charter is properly revised to reflect historical accuracy and their concerns.

LND/SAE