Faction Resigns From Newly Formed NCP Chittagong Committee
Photo Collected
CHATTOGRAM – A newly formed 168-member convening committee of the National Citizens’ Party (NCP) in Chattogram has been thrown into disarray after 22 leaders announced their resignations, citing allegations of a “pocket committee” formed through financial transactions and the sidelining of loyal, active members. The mass resignations, initially announced by four leaders hours after the committee’s formation on Thursday night, expanded to include 18 more by Friday morning, threatening to destabilize the party’s urban chapter.
The crisis unfolded swiftly after the NCP’s verified Facebook page published the new committee list around 10 p.m. on Thursday, approved by NCP Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain and Chief Organizer (Southern Region) Hasnat Abdullah. Just 90 minutes later, at 11:30 p.m., four leaders held a press conference outside the Chattogram Press Club to declare their resignations. These included Senior Co-Organizing Secretary Rakibul Hasan, Co-Organizing Secretaries Hujjathul Islam Sayeed and Mahtab Uddin Ahmed, and Office Secretary Rafsan Jani Riyaz, who all attended the briefing.
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By 9:30 a.m. on Friday, an expanded list of 22 resignations, including the initial four, was communicated to the media via a press release from Rafsan Jani. The leaders collectively accused party figures of orchestrating a “pocket committee” for financial gain, claiming it aimed to destroy the NCP’s political landscape in Chattogram city.
During the Thursday night press conference, Rafsan Jani told reporters that the new committee failed to recognize many dedicated and active party workers, with some leaders receiving inappropriate placements while new, unknown individuals were given high-ranking positions. This situation, he stated, was deeply disappointing and led at least 30 to 35 leaders to consider resigning.
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Jani specifically leveled accusations against Divisional Organizing Secretary S.M. Sujauddin, alleging that Sujauddin took personal credit for the operations of the Chattogram metropolitan committee, despite receiving assistance from local leaders. He also criticized the new Member Secretary, Arif Moinuddin, for allegedly disregarding party policy during the parliamentary elections in Chattogram-8 constituency, coordinating with influential individuals without central leadership approval. Doubts were also cast on the competence of the new Convener, Mir Mohammad Shoaib. Attempts to reach S.M. Sujauddin for comment from Thursday night until Friday morning were unsuccessful.
The press release from Rafsan Jani on Friday morning confirmed that the resignation letters, signed by all 22 leaders, would be formally submitted to NCP Convener Nahid Islam and Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain. Among the 18 new names added to the list of resignations were members Md. Omar Sayeed and Tahzeeb Chowdhury, both of whom confirmed their decision to a local media outlet.
Responding to the allegations, committee Convener Mohammad Shoaib acknowledged that “a large committee might not meet everyone’s expectations.” He suggested that some leaders might have received their preferred positions but were dissatisfied when their chosen associates were excluded, leading to “misunderstandings.” Shoaib affirmed that “the door of the committee will always remain open for them.”
Member Secretary Arif Moinuddin refuted the accusations, stating that no decisions were ever made outside of party policy and expressing hope that the resigning individuals would “understand their mistake” and rejoin the committee.
The NCP’s formal organizational journey in Chattogram began on August 9 last year with the formation of a metropolitan coordination committee, headed by Chief Coordinator Mir Arshadul Haque. However, Haque resigned from the NCP before the 13th national parliamentary elections and subsequently joined the BNP in January of this year. At least five other leaders and workers from that coordination committee have also resigned, with two of them joining the BNP.
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