Bangladesh polls: NCP clarifies stance on alliance with Jamaat as leaders threaten resignation

Dhaka: Ahead of the Bangladesh general elections, the National Citizen Party (NCP) has sought to clarify its position on forming an alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami, even as serious dissatisfaction has surfaced within the party, with dozens of senior leaders threatening mass resignation over the issue.

NCP Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain explained the party’s position in a statement posted on the party’s verified Facebook page on Saturday night.

Referring to discussions held at the consensus commission, Hossain said that while there were differences of opinion between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and other political parties, the NCP, Jamaat-e-Islami and several others were aligned on key reform proposals.

“In considering any electoral alliance or understanding, my foremost priority is the question of reform, the politics of rebuilding the country, and the commitment to establishing a new state structure for Bangladesh,” Hossain said.

However, the clarification has failed to quell unrest within the party.

According to Dhaka Tribune, at least 30 central committee leaders of the NCP wrote a letter on Saturday to party Convener Nahid Islam, voicing strong objections to any electoral understanding with Jamaat-e-Islami.

The internal dissent has escalated further, with 30 founding members of the NCP threatening to resign en masse if the party proceeds with a potential alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami and the 8-party coalition. One female NCP leader who signed the letter confirmed its contents to Dhaka Tribune.

In the letter, the leaders cited Jamaat-e-Islami’s political history, particularly its anti-independence role during the 1971 Liberation War and alleged complicity in genocide, arguing that such a legacy fundamentally contradicts Bangladesh’s democratic spirit and the NCP’s founding values.

The signatories also accused Jamaat and its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir, of engaging in divisive politics since the July uprising, including espionage within other parties, character assassination of NCP women leaders, and fostering what they described as the growing threat of religion-based social fascism.

Emphasising the party’s origins, the letter said that as a democratic political force emerging from a mass uprising, the NCP has a responsibility “to lead toward a path where human rights, religious tolerance, equal dignity, minority protection, and democratic values remain intact.”

The leaders further criticised what they described as a leadership U-turn after the party had earlier announced 125 candidates for independent contests, warning that any alliance “for just a handful of seats amounts to betrayal of the nation.”

They also cautioned that news of a potential alliance has already led to the withdrawal of support from moderate backers.

“If moderate people and those expecting new politics withdraw their support, we will lose the party’s moderate base in the future. This will damage NCP’s own centrist political agency,” the letter said.

The dissenting members concluded by urging the leadership to uphold principled politics, stating that “strategy should be determined based on principled positions; principled positions should not be sacrificed for strategic reasons,” while affirming their commitment to party discipline.

IANS