Bangladesh polls: Leaders refuse to return to NCP after alliance with Jamaat

Dhaka, Jan 12 Bangladesh's National Citizen Party (NCP) continues to struggle amid internal differences following its alliance with radical Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami, as leaders who left the party remain firm on their decision, rejecting overtures from the leadership to bring them back.

Despite the NCP top brass's claims to be in talks with the leaders, the latter have dismissed the outreach as ineffective, insisting that they would only consider returning if the party breaks its alliance with Jamaat, local media reported on Monday.

Reports suggest that as of Sunday, as many as 15 top and middle-ranking leaders, including former senior joint member secretary Tasnim Jara and former joint convener Khaled Saifullah, have stepped down, while six others have withdrawn their candidacies from the upcoming polls.

Additionally, NCP Senior Joint Convener Samanta Sharmeen and Joint Member Secretary Nahida Sarwar Niva, though formally still in the party, remain inactive following the NCP's ties with Jamaat.

Speaking to Bangladesh's leading newspaper, The Daily Star, NCP Spokesperson Asif Mahmud said, "We are trying to bring the leaders back into the party and are talking to them," adding that their departure was not merely out of disappointment but due to other underlying issues.

However, the leaders who resigned from the NCP rejected the claims as "false and fabricated", accusing the party leadership of using the narrative to mislead the people and party supporters ahead of the polls.

Meanwhile, at least five former leaders said that although the NCP Convener Nahid Islam, Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary, and Asif Mahmud had reportedly reached out, they failed to address their core ideological concerns.

However, former NCP joint convener Khaled Saifullah rejected the claims of any such outreach and was quoted as saying by The Daily Star, "I have not been in contact with anyone responsible for my return to the party."

Several dissident leaders described the decision to join the Jamaat-led alliance as "undemocratic and premeditated".

Speaking to the newspaper on condition of anonymity, one leader called the alliance with Jammat a "bad deal", stating that they had opposed it from the start.

Commenting on the pressure to rejoin, former NCP ICT cell head Farhad Alam Bhuiyan said, "The party top leaders have contacted me and urged me to return. However, I have made it clear that I will not return unless the NCP severs ties with Jamaat."

Bangladesh's elections, scheduled for February 12, are unfolding amid escalating political tensions, with dissatisfaction within the NCP intensifying over its decision to align with Jamaat in the upcoming polls.

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