NCP declares war against mafia system backed by S Alam Group: Hasnat Abdullah

The National Citizen Party (NCP) has launched a movement against what it describes as the "mafia system" supported by S Alam Group, said Hasnat Abdullah, the party's chief organiser for the southern region.

"They [S Alam] have many television channels and newspapers that have been used to attack us. We are fighting a group that shoots its own people and kills them on the streets," Hasnat said while addressing the party's divisional coordination meeting for Chattogram, held at the Engineers Institution in the port city yesterday evening (5 November).

Responding to scepticism about the youth-led movement, he said, "Those who ask what these youngsters can do, we tell them these are the very youths who can and have already done it. These youths have no personal interests to protect, no businesses to mortgage, no TV channels to silence them, no spines leased out to anyone, no Dhaka Bank to make them stay quiet. If even one person stands firm on moral grounds and for the sake of the nation, I believe every young person in this hall will rise to defend Bangladesh's democracy."

Hasnat further stated, "We know who is related to whom. We know who went to get their in-laws released after 5 August, we have that information. Today, we must take an oath to stand on the side of justice."

"Our ballots will represent the struggle between a new generation and the murderous old one. Our ballots will stand against dictatorship and Indian hegemony. Anyone who betrays this cause betrays the blood of our martyrs and pushes the country backwards. We must ensure the victory of democracy in Bangladesh," he added.

Criticising what he termed as "my man's politics" or the "politics of self-interest", Hasnat said, "The politics of opportunism is temporary and baseless. If it had any strength, no power could have overthrown the autocratic Hasina. There will be no place for such politics in the NCP. Those who wish to do local politics must work in their local areas, not sit in Dhaka and dictate on WhatsApp."

"A bond has formed among NCP leaders and activists - a bond sealed by the blood of July's martyrs and the tears of the injured. This spiritual connection stands above all worldly relations. When you feel this bond, opportunism will die out. Only by placing the capable in their rightful positions can we end this self-serving politics," he concluded.