Ideological rift deepens in NCP, now Mursalin quits
Khan Muhammad Mursalin, joint chief coordinator of the National Citizen Party (NCP), resigned from the party on Thursday, citing ideological differences and growing disillusionment with its political direction.
Mursalin announced his decision in a Facebook post in the afternoon, saying he had stepped down from all posts and responsibilities with immediate effect.
“I am Khan Muhammad Mursalin. After serving as the central joint chief coordinator of the National Citizen Party, I have decided to resign from all positions and responsibilities of the NCP from today,” he wrote.
He made it clear, however, that he is not leaving politics. “I am resigning from the NCP, not from politics. We will meet again on the streets,” he added, hinting at continued activism.
In a later video message, Mursalin said he joined the NCP after the 2024 mass uprising, drawn by its call for a new political order, a new constitution and a decisive break from the colonial legacy.
“I saw them as fellow travellers in that struggle. That belief and aspiration led me to join the NCP,” he said.
But he accused the party of failing to empower the core forces of the uprising, particularly working-class people who, he said, made the greatest sacrifices.
“The workers who gave the most lives in the uprising were never brought to the centre of power, nor were they built up as a political constituency,” Mursalin claimed.
He also alleged that women who had marched with the bodies of their fallen brothers during the movement have since been pushed to the margins. “Mothers and sisters who were once at the forefront have now become the most marginalised,” he said.
According to Mursalin, the NCP has failed to fulfil the aspirations of students and ordinary citizens who emerged from the uprising. “The current path of the NCP and the path of our mass political movement have now diverged in two different directions,” he said.
His resignation comes amid growing unease within the party following its decision to join an alliance with Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and other like-minded parties. So far, around 10 leaders and activists have reportedly quit the NCP over ideological differences, including central leaders Tasnim Jara and Tajnuva Jabeen.
Several others have stepped back from electoral politics without formally resigning. Monira Sharmin has announced she will not contest the upcoming election, while NCP leader Nusrat Tabassum said she will remain inactive during the election period.
Responding to the criticism, NCP leaders said the alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami was aimed at building broader unity ahead of the 13th national election and a proposed referendum. They stressed that the move was an electoral arrangement, not an ideological compromise.
Source: UNB