No NCP leaders at opening rally of long march, 4 join convoy

No leaders of the National Citizen Party (NCP) attended the opening rally of the 11-party alliance’s long march towards Khulna, led by Jamaat-e-Islami. The rally took place at the south gate of the National Mosque Baitul Mukarram in the capital at 8:00 am on Monday.

The long march convoy set off for Khulna at around 8:30 am after the rally. NCP leaders said that although no party leaders attended the opening rally, four of them later joined the convoy.

Several NCP leaders, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the party’s convener and member secretary would not take part in the long march. The party has decided to send several leaders as representatives.

They are senior joint convener Hasnat Abdullah, joint conveners Ariful Islam Adeeb and Abdul Hannan Masud, and joint member secretary SM Saif Mustafiz.

NCP leaders said Ariful Islam Adeeb had already delivered a speech at Naodoba in Shariatpur.

According to party sources, the NCP’s participation in this long march would be “symbolic”. Although the party’s convener, member secretary and other senior leaders took part in the previous two long marches, this time it has sent only a few leaders as representatives.

NCP Senior Joint Convener Nasiruddin Patwary told Prothom Alo over the phone, “The NCP, as a political party, is taking part in this long march. Several of our representatives will be there.” However, he did not directly comment on the absence of party leaders from the opening rally.

Asked why no NCP leaders attended the opening rally, Hamidur Rahman Azad, coordinator of the 11-party alliance and assistant secretary general of Jamaat-e-Islami, told Prothom Alo over the phone that NCP Senior Joint Convener Hasnat Abdullah would join the long march from Bagerhat.

However, an NCP joint convener, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Prothom Alo that Hasnat Abdullah was already in the convoy. The information could not be independently verified. Attempts to contact Hasnat Abdullah for comment were unsuccessful.

The 11-party alliance’s convoy heading towards Khulna will travel through Gopalganj. The decision has sparked renewed discussion in political circles about the convoy’s security.

In July last year, NCP’s July March and rally in Gopalganj came under attack. Activists and leaders of the Awami League, whose activities are now banned, and its affiliated organisations were blamed for the attack.

Fifteen months after that incident, the opposition alliance’s long march will once again pass through Gopalganj, bringing security concerns into focus. However, the 11-party alliance has not scheduled any roadside rally in the district.

Leaders of the 11-party alliance have dismissed concerns about a possible attack in Gopalganj.

On the issue, NCP Senior Joint Convener Nasiruddin Patwary told Prothom Alo, “These reports are false and rumours. We have spoken to the law enforcement agencies in Gopalganj. There is no risk of an attack there.”

The NCP’s participation in today’s long march had been a topic of discussion for the past few days.

According to sources close to the NCP, although the party is part of the 11-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami, it wants to maintain its “distinct identity” as a separate political party. As part of this effort, the party held a mass protest programme at Shahbagh in Dhaka yesterday, Friday, a day before the 11-party alliance’s long march towards the Khulna division.

Opposition Leader and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman attended the opening rally at the south gate of Baitul Mukarram on Saturday morning as the chief guest.

Addressing the rally, the Jamaat ameer said, “Another inevitable revolution is knocking at the door.” He called on the people of the country to remain prepared for that revolution.

Following Shafiqur Rahman’s speech, the long march convoy set off at around 8:30 am. The convoy will travel via the Hanif Flyover and the Dhaka-Mawa Expressway, passing through Bhanga in Faridpur, Gopalganj and Khulna. It will then cross the Rupsha Bridge before heading towards Jashore and Kushtia. The approximately 425-kilometre journey will cover 19 districts, with several roadside rallies planned along the route.

According to the announced itinerary, the convoy will travel from Dhaka towards the Khulna division via Mawa and Naodoba, located between Madaripur and Shariatpur.

Roadside rallies are scheduled at Naodoba, Katakhali in Bagerhat, Babri Chattar and Swadhinata Chattar in Khulna, Murali intersection in Jashore, and the Jhenaidah-Chuadanga Bus Stand area. The long march will conclude with a rally at Shaheed Abrar Fahad Stadium in Kushtia.

The 11-party alliance is organising the long march to demand the implementation of the referendum verdict and constitutional reforms in line with the July National Charter.

Its other demands include justice for the mass killings committed during the July mass uprising; resolving shortages of electricity, energy, gas and fertiliser; controlling the prices of essential commodities; improving law and order; ending corruption, extortion and illegal occupation; and stopping partisan appointments and influence at all levels of the administration.

The 11-party alliance previously organised long marches towards Chattogram on 5 September and Rangpur on 19 September. Following the Khulna division, the alliance plans to organise another long march towards Sylhet on 21 November.