The interim government has created a situation over the implementation of the July charter to delay the national election, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said yesterday.

He called the move "unfortunate", given BNP's all-out support for the interim government.

He said some political parties are conspiring to disrupt the election process by raising referendum demand before the polls.

"We want to make it very clear that if a referendum is to be held, it must take place on the election day. The national election must be held in February 2026. Otherwise, the people of Bangladesh will not accept it," Fakhrul said at a rally in the party's central office in Nayapaltan.

The event was organised by the BNP to observe the "National Revolution and Solidarity Day." Eight political parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami, have demanded a referendum by November to give legal basis to the July charter.

Thousands of leaders and activists from various BNP units and its affiliated organisations joined the rally, filling the area from Kakrail to Motijheel.

Reiterating BNP's position, Fakhrul said the referendum must be held on the same day as the national polls.

He said the final recommendations of the Consensus Commission excluded notes of dissent by some political parties and included several issues that were never discussed.

"For almost a year, they worked on drafting the charter. On October 17, in front of parliament, all political parties signed the document based on the consensus reached through the National Consensus Commission," he said.

The BNP leader, however, alleged that just days later, the consensus commission came up with new recommendations that were not in the signed charter.

Fakhrul criticised a statement made by a member of the Advisory Council on November 3, which gave political parties seven days to settle their differences and make their decisions.

He also questioned the intention behind the months-long consensus commission talks with parties and experts that led to the signing of the July charter.

"You spent huge sums of money, yet no solution has been reached for the political parties," he added.

Fakhrul said the BNP would build a new Bangladesh if it wins the election.

Addressing the youth, he said, "Move forward with courage to ensure victory. Honour the sacrifices of our thousands of activists who have been martyred."

At the same event, BNP Standing Committee member Mirza Abbas accused Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami of conspiring against the country's independence and sovereignty.

He urged Jamaat to stop all conspiracies to delay the election and the restoration of democracy.

"Otherwise, BNP leaders and activists will resist them on the streets," Abbas warned.

BNP Standing Committee member Abdul Moyeen Khan and other party leaders also spoke at the event.

After the rally, thousands of party members from BNP's Dhaka south and north units brought out a massive procession in front of the Nayapaltan central office. The rally, which began around 4:00pm, ended at the Sonargaon Hotel intersection after parading through Shantinagar, Malibagh, Mouchak, Moghbazar, and Bangla Motor.

Earlier at another event, Fakhrul alleged that various efforts were once again underway to destroy democracy in Bangladesh following last year's July uprising.

Speaking to reporters after paying homage to BNP founder and former president Ziaur Rahman at his grave, Fakhrul said the "civil-military uprising" of November 7, 1975, continues to inspire the party to build a country where people's right to vote and right to justice are guaranteed.

Similar events were also held in different parts of the country.