NCP slates Tarique-Yunus election decision in London, calls it a ‘betrayal of Uprising’

The National Citizen Party (NCP) has criticised the move to set Bangladesh’s election timeline through a meeting in the UK, calling it a “betrayal” of the 2024 mass uprising and warning it could trigger a new one.

Speaking in Dhaka on Friday, NCP Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary said the decision to fix a poll date without national consensus “ignores the public will and takes the country backwards”.

“This kind of meeting on foreign soil is an insult to the blood of the martyrs of the mass uprising, while the injured still lie in hospitals,” he said at the party office in Banglamotor.

Nasiruddin’s remarks came hours after BNP’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman met Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus in London for 90 minutes.

A joint statement released afterwards suggested that if preparations were complete, elections could be held before Ramadan instead of April.

The NCP leader warned that this move, made without ensuring reforms or accountability from the current government, is “a betrayal of the people’s aspiration for change”.

“I have seen no message from the government on reforms or justice,” he said. “This entire arrangement is designed to appease one political party, not the people of Bangladesh.”

“We saw a similar backtrack in 1990 when political forces made a social contract, only to return the country to old politics.”

Nasiruddin did not shift from the party’s earlier stance — that elections must come only after key reforms and visible legal action against the Awami League.

The party also disagreed with the interim government’s move to fix a date after a single-party meeting, calling it “undemocratic”.

“We might have to launch a new mass uprising,” Nasiruddin added.

Echoing the same position, NCP Senior Joint Coordinator Ariful Islam Adib told bdnews24.com: “We’ve always said we’re ready for polls anytime—but only after structural reforms and the prosecution of those responsible. That hasn’t changed.”

“But a national election date cannot be announced after discussions with just one political party.

“The date should be finalised through consultations with other political forces, as well as the families of those killed and injured in the uprising,” he added.