Photo: Messenger
National Citizen Party (NCP) convener Nahid Islam today said the National Citizen Party will be a democratic, egalitarian, people-representing party with no room for corruption and nepotism.
“In our republic, the common people—and only the common people—will be the supreme source of power. The robust protection of all their democratic and fundamental rights will be the core principle of our politics,” he told the launch event of the new party on Manik Mia Avenue this evening.
Nahid Islam, who made the convener of newly lunched NCP said, in July 2024, through immense sacrifices, the students and the people carried out an unprecedented uprising that led to the downfall of a fascist government that had clung to power for over fifteen years.
“But we must remember that this newly gained freedom, achieved through the sacrifices of thousands of martyrs, was not just about toppling one government and installing another,” he said, adding, “Rather, the people responded to this uprising with the aspiration of dismantling the deeply entrenched fascist system and restructuring the state based on people’s rights.”
“It is with this goal that we are announcing the formation of the National Citizen Party (NCP),” he said, adding, “One of the primary goals of the party is to formulate a new constitution through a ‘constituent assembly’ election to establish the ‘second republic’ in Bangladesh.”
Nahid also said Bangladesh will never be divided again and that there will be no place for pro-India or pro-Pakistan politics in the country. “There will be no room for pro-India or pro-Pakistan politics in Bangladesh,” he added.
“We all will build politics and the state unitedly, keeping Bangladesh and the interests of its people in mind,” he said.
Nahid said the conspiracy to weaken the people of Bangladesh and the state by divisive politics was foiled through the unity of all during the July mass uprising. “From this stage today, we vow that Bangladesh will never be divided again,” he said.
Stating that the July 2024 uprising has initiated the struggle to establish the ‘Second Republic’ of Bangladesh, NCP convener Nahid said, “We must eliminate all possibilities of reestablishing constitutional dictatorship by formulating a new democratic constitution. One of our primary goals is to formulate a new constitution through the election of a constituent assembly to establish our second republic.”
The political party- emerging from its bastion on academic campuses– was launched under the initiative of the Jatiya Nagorik Committee and Students against Discrimination who had spearheaded the 'anti-fascism' movement that eventually toppled the Sheikh Hasina government in a student-mass uprising.
Nahid Islam, who resigned interim government as adviser, has been made convener of the party with Akhter Hossen as member Secretary. Samanta Sharmin and Ariful Islam Adib have been made senior joint conveners while Dr Tasnim Zara and Nahida Sarwar (Niva) have been made senior joint member secretaries.
Nasiruddin Patwari, convener of Jatiya Nagorik Committee, has been appointed as the chief coordinator with Abdul Hannan Masud as joint coordinator.
Hasnat Abdullah has been designated as the chief organiser (Southern Region), while Sarjis Alam has been assigned the role of chief organiser (Northern Region).
In the rally thousands of people, particularly students, gathered at the capital's Manik Mia Avenue to witness the launch of a new political party.
The inauguration programme kicked off with recitation from Holy Scriptures at around 4:20pm followed by a rendition of the national anthem. One minute silence was also observed in memory of the martyrs of the July uprising.
Among the political leaders, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, BNP Joint Secretary General Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie, Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Prof Mia Golam Parwar, Chairman of Nagarik Oikya Mahmudur Rahman Manna, Chief Coordinator of Ganosamhati Andolon Junaid Saki, Biplobi Workers Party leader Akbar Khan, Islami Andolan Bangladesh presidium member Ashraf Ali Akand, Hefazat-e-Islam nayeb-e-ameer Ahmad Ali Qasemi, Bangladesh Labour Party chairman Dr Mostafizur Rahman Iran and Islami Oikyajote secretary general Sakhawat Hossain Razi attended the launching ceremony.
Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh executive president Major (retd) Abdul Mannan, Bangladesh LDP secretary general Shahadat Hossain Selim, Khelafat Majlis leader Ahmed Abdul Quader, Development Party chairman AKM Azharul Islam, AB Party leader Didarul Alam, and Jamaat's Dhaka city south Ameer Nurul Islam Bulbul also attended the event.
Vatican City Ambassador to Bangladesh Kevin S Randall Kevin S. Randall and Pakistan High Commission Counselor Kamran Dhangal attended the function.
Messenger/Tushar
