After failing to reach an understanding with Tarique Rahman, Acting Chairman of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), over the “July Charter,” Nahid Islam, convener of the National Citizen Committee (NCP), has disclosed explosive and confidential information about vote engineering. On Tuesday (17 February), after taking his oath as a Member of Parliament at the National Parliament Building, he made these sensational allegations while speaking to journalists. Nahid Islam stated that Khalilur Rahman’s appointment as a minister proves that, while serving in the interim government, he implemented the agenda of a particular political party. He also claimed that large-scale “engineering” took place in the recently concluded election.
According to reliable sources, just before the oath-taking, BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman visited the residences of Nahid Islam and Shafiqur Rahman, the Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami, in an attempt to reach a compromise. However, as the discussions failed to yield results, BNP decided at the last moment not to take the oath to the Constitutional Reform Council. Centered on this incident, political circles are now abuzz with talk of a “meticulous design” to create a renewed constitutional crisis and instability in the country. Analysts believe that despite securing an absolute majority, BNP’s decision to boycott the council—over the July Charter and referendum issues—is pushing the country toward deep uncertainty.
Various sources indicate that a far-reaching plan by Muhammad Yunus is at work behind this complex situation. As head of the post–July 2024 uprising interim government, the “National Consensus Commission” he formed proposed more than 80 reform measures through the July Charter.
[Nahid Reveals Vote Engineering Secrets After Talks Collapse]
After receiving public approval in the 2025 referendum, a presidential order paved the way for forming the Reform Council, even though the current constitution provides no clear legal basis for such a body. Analysts argue that if elected parties do not participate in this council, the entire reform process will become stalled, creating opportunities to generate street unrest under the pretext of denying the people’s mandate.
With Jamaat-e-Islami and the NCP already taking the oath, a division has emerged in parliament between two types of members, which could lead to future legal challenges and raise questions about the authority of the Chief Election Commissioner. Critics believe Dr. Yunus has left behind a fragile structure that will weaken the elected government from the outset and open the door to long-term political intervention. While BNP’s stance is viewed as constitutionally grounded, efforts are underway to portray it as anti-public.
As a result, fears of a new wave of street movements, economic uncertainty, and a prolonged constitutional vacuum are steadily intensifying. Whether this complexity is merely a political crisis or part of a deliberate design by Dr. Yunus has become a pressing question in the public mind.
