In a major blow to the National Citizen Party (NCP), Mohammad Erfanul Hoque, a prominent leader from the Chattogram and Bandarban regions, has announced his resignation from all party positions, citing “deception” by the central leadership and a controversial alliance with Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.
Erfanul Hoque, who served as the Senior Joint Coordinator of NCP’s Chattogram Metropolitan unit and the Member Secretary of the Bandarban district unit, officially stepped down today, January 24. His resignation comes at a critical time as the country prepares for the upcoming general elections scheduled for February 12.
Allegations of Political Betrayal
In an official statement, Erfanul Hoque expressed deep disillusionment with the party’s current trajectory. He noted that the NCP was originally formed by intellectual leaders like Mahfuz Alam to fulfill the aspirations of the July Mass Uprising—aiming for a citizen-based state structure.
However, he alleged that the party has since shifted toward “duplicity and double-dealing,” leaving grassroots activists feeling cheated.
“Despite nearly 40,000 youth joining the organization across 332 sub-districts (thanas) within three months of the uprising, the NCP failed to empower them,” Hoque stated.
He further claimed that the organization’s expansion was intentionally stifled at the grassroots level under “directives from Jamaat.”
The ‘Jamaat-NCP Merge’ Concern
A primary reason for his departure is the NCP’s recent alignment with the Jamaat-led ten-party alliance. Erfanul Hoque warned that leaders like Nahid Islam and Akhtar Hossain are leading the NCP toward a total merger with Jamaat-e-Islami.
“The decision to form an alliance with Jamaat… clearly indicates that in the near future, they are moving toward merging with Jamaat,” he said, adding that the lack of grassroots organization and the failure to field local candidates were part of a “planned” effort to weaken the party’s independent identity.
Discontent in Bandarban
Hoque also voiced strong opposition to the NCP’s candidate selection in his home district of Bandarban. He criticized the party for ignoring local struggles and “insulting the self-respect” of the hill tracts people by nominating a “development worker” from Maheshkhali rather than a local leader.
“They believe there is no worthy candidate in Bandarban,” Hoque remarked, expressing concern that such candidates lack a genuine connection to the struggles of the hilly region and would likely abandon local activists after the election.
Shift Toward Tarique Rahman and BNP
Following his resignation, Erfanul Hoque declared his support for Tarique Rahman and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). He praised Tarique Rahman’s “new political move” and his “grassroots-oriented political model,” which he likened to the vision of late President Ziaur Rahman.
Hoque urged the people of Bandarban to reject “artificial emotions” and support Saching Prue Jerry, whom he described as the “son of the soil” of Bandarban politics.
Erfanul Hoque’s Background: Hoque has been a notable activist since his student days at Dhaka University, leading the 2018 quota reform movement and participating in the Chittagong Hill Tracts Student Council. He made headlines for his active role in the 2024 July Uprising and recently sacrificed a prestigious scholarship at the University of Memphis to focus on domestic politics.
