Leaders of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) and Gono Forum briefly walked out of the National Consensus Commission’s dialogue on Wednesday, citing “bias” and “being denied the floor” during discussions.
The session, chaired by Commission Vice Chairman Prof Ali Riaz, began at around 11:30am and resumed after lunch at 3:00pm.
The walkout occurred during the third day of the commission’s second phase of talks at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka, attended by around 30 political parties, including the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami.
At 3:45pm, Gono Forum General Secretary Mizanur Rahman exited, declaring a boycott. “What kind of dialogue is this? We’re boycotting until the interim government ensures neutrality,” he said.
CPB General Secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince followed, expressing frustration that three Jamaat representatives were allowed to speak while others were sidelined.
Meanwhile, LDP’s Shahadat Hossain Selim also left, citing personal reasons, though he noted that several parties had raised concerns over impartiality.
Shortly after Selim’s departure around 4:30pm, Ganosamhati Andolon leader Zonayed Saki also left, though he declined to comment.
CPB and Gono Forum leaders were later brought back into the discussion following intervention by commission member Badiul Alam Majumdar and Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser Monir Haidar.
Jamaat-e-Islami, absent the previous day in protest of the Tarique-Yunus declaration issued in London, returned to the talks, drawing much responses from other participants.