BNP senior leader Salahuddin Ahmed on Saturday said not signing the National July Charter by a few political parties, including the National Citizen Party (NCP), will not have any major impact on the upcoming national election.

“As far as I know, the NCP and three to four left parties could not attend the signing ceremony. I will not say they didn’t sign it. The opportunity to sign remains open,” he said.

Speaking to reporters at the grave of BNP founder and late President Ziaur Rahman, Salahuddin also expressed hope that the NCP and other parties will sign the July Charter in the coming days.

Salahuddin, a BNP Standing Committee Member, said some parties have certain demands which they may discuss with the government and resolve.

“At one stage, we believe they will also sign the July Charter. In a democracy, not everyone will agree on everything as differences of opinion can exist,” the BNP leader added.

He alleged that the “Awami fascist forces” are still trying to create chaos in various ways which was visible even yesterday (Friday) during the disorder before the signing ceremony of the July Charter.

“An organisation under the banner of the July fighters had a logical demand and I personally spoke about it and gave a status (on Facebook). Later, the Vice Chairman of the Consensus Commission addressed it correctly and made changes to the Charter. So, there should be no reason for dissatisfaction after that,” Salahuddin said.

He claimed that some unruly elements, posing as students, infiltrated the gathering under the name of July fighters. “I believe they were cohorts of the Awami fascist forces.”

The BNP leader also said that no person or organisation involved in the July uprising could have been part of that incident.

Earlier, Salahuddin, along with members of the Ziaur Rahman Foundation, paid homage to the BNP founder by placing a wreath at his grave, marking the organisation’s 26th founding anniversary.

He said the nation believes the grave of martyr President Ziaur Rahman is a symbol of Bangladesh’s independence and the foundation of multi-party democracy

“We want to bring a change in the country’s political culture to strengthen independence, sovereignty, and democracy, and that process has already begun,” the BNP leader said.

He stressed that continuing the practice of democratic political culture is now very important. “With the signing of the July Charter yesterday (Saturday), this new journey has started.”

Through its full implementation, Salahuddin said Bangladesh will move towards building a strong democratic society and state through reforms in the state structure.

“Through this, balance will be maintained in all organs of the state. People will be able to enjoy and exercise all their democratic, human, and basic rights. We have started a new journey towards this goal,” he said.

The BNP leader called on all parties and citizens to move forward with patience, tolerance, and a culture of democracy. “If we do so, we will be able to build a truly strong and effective democratic state, and the sacrifices and blood of our martyrs will not go in vain.”