Internal rifts, growing isolation impede NCP’s key demands

The NCP is facing deepening internal divisions, with four senior leaders publicly disagreeing on military and political issues, intensifying the party's isolation from political parties and delaying progress on its key demands.

Before the NCP's formation, its predecessor platforms – Students Against Discrimination and the Jatiya Nagorik Committee – put forward five demands at the Central Shaheed Minar on 22 October last year.

While the demand to ban the Bangladesh Chhatra League was met, others – such as constitutional reforms, the removal of the president, the establishment of a second republic, and the annulment of the last three elections – remain unaddressed.  

Besides, the party's call for a "July Charter" has yet to materialise. There has also been no progress on its demands to ban the Awami League and introduce local parliamentary elections.

NCP Joint Convener Sarwar Tushar acknowledged that the situation has created some uncertainty but claimed the party has not suffered a significant setback.

"Since the party is new, leaders will become more responsible in the future," he told The Business Standard. He urged the military and political establishments to recognise the spirit and mood of the youth.

"There are both formal and informal ways to mitigate such situations in politics," he added. "We do not foresee a major problem ahead."

No effective action on demands

Since its launch, the NCP has not undertaken any effective movements to push for its demands. Some leaders said differing stances from the BNP and other parties have stalled their agenda. They also said the military's position on the Awami League has further distanced them from the other parties.

"The lack of continuous, effective programmes has also hindered our progress. After Ramadan, we plan to launch a movement in mid-April," said an NCP leader.  

Senior Joint Convenor Ariful Islam Adib told TBS that there would be "no compromise" on the Awami League issue, stating that the party would pursue legal and political avenues.

On the differing statements by party leaders, Adib said, "We don't have any hostility towards the army. We trust that the army will respect the people's expectations."

He further said comments made by an NCP leader regarding the BNP and Jamaat were personal views, referring to NCP Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwari's criticism on Friday of past efforts to rehabilitate the Jamaat in politics, where he also held the BNP founder, General Ziaur Rahman, responsible for facilitating the Jamaat's resurgence.

Leadership divided over army

The leadership rift within the NCP began on Thursday night after Hasnat Abdullah, the party's southern region chief organiser, accused the army of attempting to rehabilitate a "refined Awami League".

In a Facebook post, he claimed that during an 11 March meeting at the cantonment, army officers proposed the idea, offering seat-sharing arrangements as incentives, with other parties allegedly on board.

The situation escalated as other leaders expressed differing views on the BNP, Jamaat, and the military on social media.

Meanwhile, the NCP refrained from issuing an official statement, instead warning leaders to avoid further comments. At a press conference on Sunday, Patwari criticised leaders who spoke out about the meeting with the army chief without broader party consensus.

After a late-night meeting on Sunday, NCP leaders debated whether to release a statement but ultimately chose silence to avoid more controversy.

Nevertheless, on Monday, Sarjis Alam, the northern region chief organiser, told journalists that he expected the army to maintain its reputation and stay out of politics, adding, "There are no internal disagreements within the NCP; any minor issues will be resolved through discussion."