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Leaders from the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) and Gono Forum have walked out of the National Consensus Comission’s dialogue, accusing organisers of “partiality and denying them a chance to speak”.
They, however, returned to the session following the intervention of commission members, reports bdnews24.com.
The incident took place during the third day of discussions under the second phase of talks at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka on Wednesday.
Around 30 political parties, including the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, attended the session.
Around 3:45pm, Gono Forum General Secretary Mizanur Rahman exited the venue, declaring a “boycott”.
“What kind of dialogue is this? Who are we even supposed to talk to? They’re doing whatever they please,” he told journalists.
“We’re boycotting until the interim government ensures neutrality.”
Moments later, CPB General Secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince followed suit, expressing anger over what he described as clear “favouritism”.
“Three representatives of Jamaat-e-Islami were allowed to speak. Many others have spoken. But none of us were given the floor,” said Prince.
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Secretary General Shahadat Hossain Selim also left the premises.
He said: “Seven or eight parties stood up to walk out over the neutrality issue. Two ultimately exited. I left due to personal commitments.”
The dialogue began at 11:30am and continued until 2:00pm, followed by lunch. Discussions resumed at 3:00pm.
Soon after, CPB and Gono Forum leaders stood inside the Doel Multipurpose Hall, saying “they were not being allowed to speak”.
Other party leaders remained seated during the commotion.
After the walkout, commission member Badiul Alam Majumdar and Special Assistant to the Chief Advisor Monir Haidar spoke to the aggrieved leaders and escorted them back in.
According to the commission, the dialogue was scheduled to run until 5:30pm.
Shortly after Selim’s departure around 4:30pm, Ganosamhati Andolon leader Zonayed Saki also left, though he declined to comment.
The meeting was presided over by National Consensus Commission Vice Chairman Professor Ali Riaz.
Jamaat-e-Islami, which had “boycotted” Tuesday’s discussions, returned for this session.
The party objected to a joint declaration issued after a meeting between the Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus and BNP’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman in London on Jun 3.
When asked about it, Jamaat leader Hamidur Rahman Azad told bdnews24.com: “We did not attend the meeting in protest.”
Their reappearance in Wednesday’s talks drew smiles, handshakes, and embraces from several leaders of other political parties.
At the venue’s entrance, Badiul welcomed Jamaat leader Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher with a handshake.
Party members walked through the hall exchanging greetings with other delegates.