Consensus Commission bins claims of Tk83cr expenditure on hospitality

Bangla Press Desk: The National Consensus Commission (NCC) Thursday refuted claims that the commission spent Tk83 crore on hospitality, stating that its total expenditure was Tk1.71 crore, of which Tk45 lakh was spent on hospitality.

“A very recent campaign by a certain quarter has falsely alleged that the National Consensus Commission spent Tk83 crore on hospitality. Such statements are entirely fabricated and false,” said a statement issued by Chief Adviser’s Press Wing on Thursday night.

As it is evident that this was a planned propaganda, as those who spread the misinformation, neither sought the Commission’s official statement nor verified the authenticity of the information from relevant authorities, it said.

To prevent public confusion, the NCC clarified that since its inception on 15 February 2025, the total budget for fiscal years 2024–25 and 2025–26 was Taka 7,23,31,026. Of this, Taka 63 lakh was allocated for hospitality.

As of 31 October 2025, however, the commission spent a total of Tk1,71,31,126, which was only 23.46% of the total allocation, it said, adding, Tk45,77,685 was spent on hospitality.

The statement said that the majority of the expenditure on hospitality was incurred during meetings and discussions with political parties and other meetings of the commission.

During the three-phase discussions with political parties, the commission arranged entertainment for political party representatives, their associates, journalists and media workers, commission officials and employees, and security personnel, it said, adding, in the first phase (20 March -19 May 2025), 44 meetings with political parties were held while Tk4,91,000 was spent on hospitality.

In the second phase, 23 meetings were held at the Foreign Service Academy with representatives of 30 political parties while Tk28,83,100 was spent, the statement said, adding, as these meetings lasted from morning till night, the commission had to arrange breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the participants. The average cost per day was less than Tk120,000, it said.

In the third phase, the statement said, seven meetings involving representatives from 30 political parties were held while Tk7,08,600 was spent.

Apart from these, the commission held 50 of its own meetings, many of which were on holidays and lasted for the whole day, it said, adding, these meeting incurred Tk1,05,520.

Tk2,00,340 was spent in 13 programmes, including meetings with political parties, civil society members, professionals and three press conferences, the statement said, adding, Tk30,960 was spent on hospitality during 14 meetings with experts.

It is mentionable that the experts didn't take any allowance or honorarium, it said.

Additionally, Tk2 lakh was spent over nine months on hosting guests, including foreign diplomats, representatives of domestic and international organisations, political leaders, editors, and journalists, the statement added.

"The above statement on the expenditure clearly shows that the claim of Tk83 crore expenditure is not only a lie but also a concerted and planned attempt to undermine the National Consensus Commission and its activities," it said.

Noting that throughout its tenure, the commission maintained maximum transparency, the statement said the reports published in the mass media every day are proof of this.

Journalists were freely allowed access to the commission office while the Vice-Chairman and members of the commission regularly shared information through press conferences and briefings, it said, adding, notably, for the first time in Bangladesh's history, discussions between political parties were broadcast live on television.

The commission hoped that the unscrupulous quarters that are spreading this malicious propaganda would immediately admit their faults and seek apology, the statement said, adding, the commission received the cooperation of responsible media during its tenure and hoped that the media would continue their responsible approach to protect the people from confusion by disseminating accurate information on this issue. This article was originally published on the Daily Sun.

BP/ZE