The once-aligned political allies BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami now hold sharply divergent positions on the foundational principles of state governance, following recommendations by the Constitution Reform Commission. While the commission proposed removing "secularism," "nationalism," and "socialism" from the Constitution, the BNP has opposed this move. In contrast, Jamaat has endorsed the changes without offering further explanation.
Taking it a step further, Jamaat has suggested including principles such as “full faith and trust in Almighty Allah,” “religious and social values,” “equality,” “human dignity,” “social justice,” and “democracy.” However, the party has recommended excluding the term “pluralism.” While the commission’s draft described Bangladesh as a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, and multicultural country, Jamaat proposed focusing instead on ensuring dignity for all citizens regardless of race, religion, or caste.
On the other hand, BNP wants Articles 8, 9, 10, and 12 of the Constitution to be restored to their state prior to the 15th Amendment, when “nationalism,” “socialism,” “democracy,” and “secularism” were established as the guiding principles of governance.
According to writer and researcher Mahiuddin Ahmed, BNP is seeking to revert the Constitution to the form it took during their rule, particularly resembling the structure established by President Ziaur Rahman’s 1976 ordinance. He believes this framework is also preferable to Jamaat, as it minimizes the emphasis on secularism.
Meanwhile, the National Citizen Party (NCP) supports replacing the old principles with new ones: “equality, human dignity, social justice, pluralism, and democracy.” However, the party has rejected the proposal to rename the country from “People’s Republic of Bangladesh” to “Democratic Republic of Bangladesh.”
Out of the commission’s 70 proposals, Jamaat agreed with 31, disagreed with 23, and partially agreed with 16. The party expressed concerns particularly around concepts like “citizen democracy,” the structure and authority of a bicameral legislature, the framework for women’s reserved seats, and the process for declaring a state of emergency.
Regarding emergency powers, Jamaat wants the President to be able to declare a state of emergency only upon the recommendation of the National Constitutional Commission (NCC). BNP, however, believes such powers should lie with the executive branch and not be delegated outside of Parliament.
Finally, Jamaat reiterated its demand to restore the phrase “complete faith and trust in Almighty Allah” in the preamble of the Constitution, which was removed through the 15th Amendment. The party maintains that secularism and socialism conflict with Bangladesh’s religious and social context.
Despite being part of the same political alliance, these differing positions on constitutional reform reveal a growing ideological and political divide between BNP and Jamaat.
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