Former president of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Mujahidul Islam Selim, has strongly criticized the government for what he described as an “unnecessary and fraudulent” referendum, accusing it of misleading the public and undermining democratic norms.
Speaking to journalists on Thursday (22 January 2026) at the Central Shaheed Minar while inaugurating the campaign of the Democratic United Front, Selim said the government had trapped citizens “in a web of lies” by organizing the referendum with confusing and biased questions.
“The ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions have been framed in a complicated way. I may agree with half of it and disagree with the other half, but I am being forced to give only one kind of vote. This is not a neutral vote at all,” Selim said.
He added that although his party had long argued for reforms, they should be carried out on the basis of people’s power and public consensus. “Our voices were ignored. Now a fake ‘yes–no’ vote is being imposed,” he remarked.
Selim also accused the government of misusing public funds to promote the referendum campaign. “The government is openly taking sides by using state resources for campaigning. We urge the people to make their decision freely, based on their conscience and experience,” he said.
In a sharp attack on the student-led organization NCP, Selim said attempts were being made to push the youth back toward outdated political thinking. “Instead of moving forward, the youth are being dragged into old patterns. Young people must bring new ideas, otherwise the country will fall behind,” he warned.
Meanwhile, Bazlur Rashid Firoz, general secretary of the Bangladesh Socialist Party (BASD), echoed similar concerns. He said holding the referendum on the same day as the national সংসদ elections had created a complicated situation and exposed the government’s lack of neutrality.
“By scheduling the referendum alongside the parliamentary polls, the government has compromised its impartiality and created unnecessary confusion,” Firoz said.
