NCP guru Mahfooz Alam left after alliance with Jamaat, why does he feel guilty of 1971?

bangladesh The July Movement of 2024 was considered a major revolution. This movement toppled the government of the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The students who led this movement later formed a new political party, named National Citizen Party (NCP). People call it the students’ party and hope that it will bring new hope in the country. But now, when general elections are going to be held in Bangladesh on 12 February 2026, then there is a big controversy within the NCP. The main reason for this controversy is the party’s electoral alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami.

Jamaat-e-Islami is an Islamic party, whose history has been full of controversies. Many people accuse it of supporting Pakistan during the 1971 liberation war and being involved in genocide. Many NCP leaders believe that forging an alliance with Jamaat is against the basic principles of the party and the spirit of the July Movement. Due to this, there has been a split in the party and many big leaders are resigning or isolating themselves.

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NCP’s Guru Mahfooz Alam

The biggest name of this controversy is Mahfooz Alam. Mahfooz Alam is called the ‘guru’ of the July Movement. He was the main strategist of the movement and many consider him the brain behind the revolution. Bangladesh’s interim administrator Mohammad Yunus himself introduced him to former US President Bill Clinton and said that Mahfouz is the mastermind of the entire revolution of 2024. Mahfooz gets a lot of respect in NCP and is considered the guru of the party. But now Mahfooz Alam has distanced himself from NCP.

I am not part of NCP

On Sunday, he wrote a post on Facebook, in which he said that he will not be a part of this NCP. He wrote, ‘In the present circumstances, my respect, love and friendship for my comrades of the July Movement will always remain. But I am not becoming a part of this NCP. Mahfooz also clarified that he had not received any seat offer from the Jamaat-NCP alliance, but maintaining his old ideology is more important for him. His post came hours after NCP convenor Naheed Islam’s announcement of joining the Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance.

Resignation of two big leaders

Apart from Mahfooz Alam, there is other opposition in the party. About 30 senior leaders signed a joint letter opposing the alliance. Of these, two big leaders Tasneem Jara and Tajnuwa Jabeen resigned. Tajnuwa Jabeen said in her Facebook post that she is in mental pain and considers this alliance as a well-thought-out political strategy. Many women leaders have also opposed this. Protesting leaders say that the history of Jamaat is against the spirit of independence and democracy of Bangladesh.

What did the NCP convenor say?

On the other hand, NCP convenor Naheed Islam is defending this alliance. He said in a press conference that it is difficult for the party to contest the elections alone, hence an alliance has been formed with eight like-minded parties. Nahid stressed that this is not an ideological alliance, but only an electoral pact. The party will stick to its principles. He claimed that this decision was taken by majority in the party’s executive committee and most of the leaders are supporting it. People who disagree also have the right to express their opinion or protest. This whole incident shows that the revolution of the July Movement is now facing challenges. The split in the students’ party so soon is disappointing many people. These resignations and controversies just before the elections are a big blow to the NCP.