Ex-NCP leader in Bandarban says party has no future without Jamaat, backs BNP candidate

The National Citizen Part, or NCP, has “no future” other than blending in with Jamaat-e-Islami and has “strayed from the spirit” of Aug 5, an NCP leader said a day after resigning from the party in Bandarban.

Erfanul Haq made the remarks at a press conference at the Bandarban Press Club on Monday afternoon, where he also protested the nomination of a candidate from another district for Bandarban.

Haq, the member secretary of the Bandarban NCP chapter, resigned from the party on Sunday. Several of his activists and supporters accompanied him at the press conference.

He alleged the party “cheated” the people of Bandarban by fielding an “outsider” and said it had made a “mockery” of its candidature in the district.

“A potential public representative should be selected from their own area,” he said, adding that the nomination hurt the “self-esteem” of Bandarban people and that voters would give a “fitting reply” in the election.

He also called on voters to support the BNP candidate.

Responding to a reporter’s query, Haq said the NCP leadership has strayed from the “spirit of August 2024” and that the party has now been reduced to “a party of several Banglamotor people”.

He further claimed the NCP is trying to protect its existence by blending in with Jamaat, but said the effort would fail.

Haq said he has resigned from all NCP posts, but has not joined the BNP or any other party.

The Jamaat-led 11-party alliance candidate, which includes the NCP, could not be reached by phone for comment.

However, NCP Bandarban convener Maung Shwe Prue Chowdhury opined that any Bangladeshi citizen can contest an election from anywhere in the country and there is no obstacle to it.

He said they are working for the party candidate in line with the party decision.