A central leader of the National Citizen Party (NCP) has announced his resignation, alleging that the party’s political alliance with the Jamaat-e-Islami has gradually turned into an ideological merger.
The leader also accused fellow party members of labelling him a “Mujibist” for his views on historical issues.
Md Abdur Rahman, a former Dhaka University student who served as a central organiser for the NCP’s southern region, posted his resignation letter, addressed to NCP Convener Nahid Islam, on his personal Facebook account on Friday night.
In his resignation letter, Abdur Rahman said the party’s declared goals, commitment to a new political settlement and pledge to pluralistic democratic values had initially inspired him to work for the NCP.
“However, it is with deep regret I have observed that the NCP’s political positions before and after the election, along with its electoral and political alliance with the Jamaat-e-Islami, an anti-liberation force, have led to the spread of Jamaat’s ideology from the central leadership down to the ward level.”
He said many talented, dedicated and promising founding leaders had left the NCP over the Jamaat issue.
“I stayed with the NCP in the hope that a political alliance would not turn into an ideological alliance. But day by day, duplicity within and outside the organisation seems to be increasing,” he added.
Alleging that the NCP’s political alliance with Jamaat had now become an ideological one, Abdur Rahman said the development fundamentally contradicted his principles and beliefs.
He also accused fellow party members of treating him unfairly, particularly by labelling him a “Mujibist” because of his views on historical issues, which he said curtailed his freedom of expression and created discomfort in his relations with colleagues.
“The positions of NCP leaders and activists on the history of the founding of the state have now become indistinguishable from those of Jamaat-Shibir. As a result, the NCP’s independent position on ideological questions now seems to be shaped by Jamaat’s narrative,” he wrote.
Under the circumstances, he said, continuing to discharge his organisational responsibilities had become morally and ideologically impossible.
“I have therefore decided to end my journey with the NCP here and voluntarily resign from all organisational responsibilities and positions, of my own free will and with full awareness,” he added.
Abdur Rahman was previously involved in the politics of the Bangladesh Chhatra League, which is now banned. He was elected a member of the Haji Muhammad Mohsin Hall Students’ Union at Dhaka University in 2019 from the Chhatra League panel.
In 2022, he was appointed a member of the central Chhatra League committee when it was expanded. However, he actively participated in the July mass uprising of 2024.
He joined the NCP after the uprising and was included in the party’s preliminary list of candidates ahead of the 13th parliamentary election. He was initially named as the party’s candidate for the Shariatpur-1 constituency but was later denied nomination after the NCP contested the election as part of an 11-party alliance.
Asked why he had left the party, Abdur Rahman told the media, “Before the election, when the NCP formed an alliance with the Jamaat, it was described as a temporary arrangement. Political alliances can certainly be formed. But now there is no apparent difference between the NCP’s narrative and Jamaat’s. Ideologically, the two parties seem to be merging.”
He said some NCP leaders had labelled him an “Awami League supporter” after he posted a tribute to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 15 August, marking his death anniversary.
“Yet, during the movement, we chanted, ‘In Bangabandhu’s Bengal, there is no place for discrimination,’” he said.
Expressing disappointment over being labelled by his political colleagues, Abdur Rahman added, “My political journey may be coming to an end here.”
Asked about the resignation, Sarwar Tushar, a member of the NCP’s highest policymaking body, the Political Council, said that Abdur Rahman had been inactive for a long time and had left the country.
“He has also been seen expressing views in favour of the activities-banned Awami League on social media. He will not be included in the reconstituted committee which will be announced soon. After learning this, he announced his resignation on Facebook,” Tushar said.
“Realising that he would not be retained in the party, he has staged this resignation drama,” he said.
Responding to the allegation that the NCP had become ideologically indistinguishable from the Jamaat, Tushar said the claim was not a substantive issue.
“If that had been the case, he would have left when many others quit the party before the election. But he is resigning eight months after the election. How, then, did he remain in the party for so long? He is staging this resignation drama after learning that he will not be included in the reconstituted committee,” Tushar added.