Hasnat, Sarjis’ Facebook posts on army chief meeting stir discontent in NCP

A state of discomfort and discontents engulfed the newly formed National Citizen Party (NCP) following the social media posts of the party’s chief organiser Hasnat Abdullah and Sarjis Alam on their meeting with army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman.

Many leaders of the NCP, however, see the two leaders’ posts on social media platform Facebook as the ‘politics of gaining personal popularity. Talks are also making rounds inside the NCP over its leaders making posts on Facebook randomly without any discussion in party forum with several leaders raising questions on whether such activities are making the NCP is a laughingstock.

In a Facebook post on last Thursday night, Hasnat Abdullah wrote a proposal on the rehabilitation of Awami League was placed after he and another individual was called to the cantonment. The post drew reactions in the following the days. Meanwhile, Sarjis Alam said in a Facebook post on Sunday, “I think the process of how these speeches came to fore through the Facebook post was not proper.”

NCP joint chief coordinator Abdul Hannan Masud commented on Sarjis’ post, “What is this bother! I am saying it publicly, one of you two is lying. This cannot continue. When people are seeing hope in the NCP, whose agenda is it to make the party controversial in this way.”

Discussions with NCP leaders reveal that the Facebook posts by Hasnat and Sarjis, along with Hannan’s comment, have caused significant discomfort within the party. Many leaders expressed their frustration in the central committee’s WhatsApp group. Several central leaders also raised concerns over activities such as holding meetings with individuals at various levels without prior discussion within the party and then publicly disclosing details without informing the leadership.

According to NCP sources, tensions escalated after Sarjis Alam’s Facebook post was shared in the party’s WhatsApp group. One leader, Khalid Saifullah, reacted strongly, stating, “A few individuals are publicly sharing their personal opinions without any organizational approval. They are making statements for personal political gain, often contradicting themselves, yet showing no concern. If they want to do politics using celebrity faces, controversy, and populism, then remove us from the party and replace us with TikTokers.”

Another leader wrote, “Do not do the politics of gaining personal popularity. You must think about the party.” Another one wrote, “Talks was raised at the past general meeting so that no persons holding a position make Facebook post randomly, and they themselves become more aligned. But, who listens to whom.”

Another leader Saifullah Haidar wrote in the Group, “Tell us , 'we are very populists, we will do politics in this way, accept and stay or leave.” Another one wrote, “Let the party fail, they always will have to be in limelight.”

Certain Mollah Rahmatullah wrote, “No senior leaders should make any political posts in Facebook without discussion at least 2-4 people beforehand or else our politics will be buried in Facebook.” Another leader wrote, “Everyone is making post at their will; someone is rejecting another one’s remarks in public post- what is really going one?”

The posts of Hasnat and Sarjis also drew discussion on the personal domain of NCP leaders. A top NCP leader told Prothom Alo most of the party leaders were unaware of the meeting of Hasnat and Sarjis with the army chief. When Hasnat made the ‘proposal’ on rehabilitation of Awami League public in a Facebook post, it drew mixed reaction. Many praised Hasnat for maintaining a rigid stance on Awami League, but question arose on disclosing the matter of the discussion on Facebook after the post of Sarjis.

The leader stated that as a new political party, the NCP may need to engage in both formal and informal discussions with various individuals in the future for political purposes. However, the way Hasnat and Sarjis shared an informal conversation on Facebook could discourage others from having candid discussions with NCP leaders moving forward, ultimately harming the party.

Another senior leader remarked that many within the NCP have yet to transition from Facebook-centric activities to serious political engagement. The party forum will soon discuss the issue of leaders making political statements on social media and work toward establishing guidelines to regulate such activities.

Meanwhile, Chief Adviser to the interim government, Professor Muhammad Yunus, met with a delegation from the International Crisis Group at the state guesthouse Jamuna in Dhaka last Thursday. During the meeting, the chief adviser clarified that the interim government has no plans to ban the Awami League. Following media reports on his remarks, speculation arose that efforts were underway to rehabilitate the party.

That night, Hasnat Abdullah posted on Facebook, claiming that a new conspiracy was in motion to revive a “Refined Awami League,” allegedly as part of an Indian-led plan. According to him, the initiative centers around key figures such as Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Shirin Sharmin, and Fazle Hasan Taposh.

Hasnat claimed that on March 11, a proposal was presented to him and another individual at the cantonment. “We were asked to support this plan in exchange for seat-sharing in parliament,” he wrote. “We were told that several political parties had received similar proposals and had agreed to Awami League’s rehabilitation under certain conditions. We were also told that having multiple opposition parties, including a weakened Awami League, would be preferable to a single dominant opposition.”

Following Hasnat’s Facebook post, students at various universities, including Dhaka University, along with different political parties and organizations, staged demonstrations protesting the alleged “rehabilitation attempt” of the Awami League and demanding the party’s ban. NCP leaders also called for Awami League’s trial and the immediate revocation of its registration.

Some individuals even demanded the removal of the army chief. Amid growing tensions, the NCP held a press conference on Friday night to clarify its stance. While the party condemned the chief adviser’s remarks about having no plans to ban the Awami League, it refrained from making any specific comments on the army chief.

On Saturday, NCP Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary, in a speech at an event in Sylhet, criticised Hasnat Abdullah’s Facebook post, calling it “discourteous.” The following day, Sarjis Alam, in a lengthy Facebook post, wrote, “I believe the way these conversations were disclosed on Facebook was improper. As a result, our future discussions with stakeholders may suffer from a lack of trust.”

He added, “The tone of Hasnat’s Facebook post makes the conversation seem more extreme than it actually was. However, it was certainly more straightforward and confident than on any other occasion.”

Meanwhile, Sweden-based Netra News quoted the Army Headquarters as stating that Hasnat Abdullah’s post was “nothing more than a political stunt.” The army further dismissed the remarks of the 27-year-old student leader as “extremely laughable and an immature collection of fabricated stories.”