Leaders of the 11-party alliance, led by the National Citizen Party (NCP), on Tuesday (February 17) boycotted the cabinet swearing-in ceremony in a firm and principled protest against the BNP's refusal to take oath as members of the Constitutional Reform Council.
The alliance made it clear that its absence from the ceremony was not an act of disengagement, but a deliberate political stance to safeguard the spirit of the people's mandate expressed through the recent referendum. According to alliance leaders, participation in the cabinet event under such circumstances would have signaled tacit acceptance of what they described as a troubling departure from that mandate.
The oath-taking ceremony was held at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban following the formation of a new government after the 13th National Parliamentary Election. However, no representatives from the 11-party bloc attended, underscoring the depth of their protest.
The decision to abstain had been announced earlier by NCP spokesperson Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan through his verified Facebook posts. He asserted that the newly elected parliament had embarked on its journey by overlooking the verdict delivered by the people through the referendum process. By declining to take the oath of the Constitutional Reform Council, he argued, the BNP had effectively diminished the moral authority of that public verdict.
Alliance joint coordinator Abdul Hannan Masud later reaffirmed the position, describing the boycott as a calculated and principled move aimed at registering a constitutional protest while continuing to fulfill parliamentary obligations. He stressed that the alliance remains committed to democratic institutions and reform initiatives.
Importantly, the alliance's elected representatives have already taken oath both as Members of Parliament and as members of the Constitutional Reform Council. NCP Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain stated that the dual oath was undertaken out of respect for the electorate and to ensure that reform efforts proceed without obstruction. "Our commitment is to the people and to structural reform," he said, emphasizing that the boycott was directed at the executive ceremony, not at democratic processes.
Earlier, BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed had maintained that his party was not elected to the Constitutional Reform Council and therefore could not legitimately take oath as its members. Meanwhile, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher had initially suggested that Jamaat might also reconsider its parliamentary oath if the BNP abstained. However, Jamaat lawmakers ultimately participated in both the parliamentary and reform council oaths, reducing earlier political uncertainty.
Political observers view the alliance's move as a strategic assertion of independence - engaging fully in legislative and reform responsibilities while drawing a clear line between principled opposition and executive endorsement. By joining parliament and the reform council but boycotting the cabinet ceremony, the bloc has signaled that accountability to the electorate takes precedence over ceremonial optics.
The 11-party alliance is expected to issue a comprehensive joint statement in the coming days outlining its broader parliamentary roadmap, with a focus on constitutional reform, institutional integrity, and the protection of democratic mandates.
