From Revolution to Reform: The Emergence of NCC as a Political Force Challenging Bangladesh’s Dominant Parties

On September 8,2024, National Citizens Committee (NCC) was formed following the July Revolution, which led to resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024. The NCC comprise of former student leaders in their late 20s and early 30s, many of whom were key figures in July Revolution including Nasir Uddin Patwari (convener), Akhtar Hossain (member secretary), and Samantha Sharmin (Spokesperson). The NCC has established a presence across Bangladesh, with representatives in 89 locations, including 24 in Dhaka and 65 in other regions.

The organization has made it clear that its core interest is to push for political reforms across Bangladesh, and to achieve this, it plans to operate as a political party by February 2025. Additionally, with the closing of the gap left incomplete, the party seeks to create a new form of political competition in Bangladesh which is led by the BNP and Awami League in most cases.         

The leaders of NCC expressed that its formation sought to provide ideals of a new political system based devoid of respect, compassion, and responsibility, simultaneously advocating for people like Mahfuj Alam and chief adviser Muhammad Yunus among others. Most likely composed of BNP members and supporters of other factions, the NCC is progressively establishing its organizational structure by converting persons with different political views. It has formed a national coordinating center and is getting ready to launch itself as a political organization by launching itself on the official website.

NCC objectives:

The National Citizens Committee advocates for creation of a new constitution through a legislative assembly, underscoring the importance of inclusivity and equity. To Replace Existing Authoritarian Structures with a democratic system that fosters more involvement and representation the goal is to partner with the interim government to enhance governance ethics and accountability. Moreover, dealing with historical injustices and avenging the victims of July massacres so that the known criminal can be brought to justice.

 The committee envisages working with political, cultural and religious leaders in the country and abroad in order to achieve agreement on policies that are beneficial to the people. The efforts are made to organize citizens as district and local levels, promoting the concept of national development from the grassroots. Further as the NCC announced plans to evolve into a formal political party by February 2025, while focused on youth leadership led by individuals in their late 20s and 30s, the NCC seeks to harness the energy and perspectives of the youth to drive political reforms. 

BNP Respond:

         BNP an old political party in the Bangladesh context expressed their concern about the formation of the National Citizens Committee (NCC) and them being the fourth political force. Spontaneously speaking after a long break of six years, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in her first speech insisted on the need to forgive instead of seeking vengeance by politics. She remarked, “Not destruction, not revenge – let’s build a knowledge-based society.  The statement suggests the shifting political dynamics introduced by groups like the NCC it prefers to focus on its own reform agendas and the promotion of a compassionate, knowledge-based society, rather than engaging in confrontational politics. 

            Further Khaleda Zia son Trique Rahman, acting chairman of BNP emphasized the importance of responding the political challenges through constructive agendas rather than retaliation. He stated

“If you want to respond to the injustice, oppression, and suppression that have been done to you, you should not imitate what they [Awami League] have done… To give a response effectively, we must make our 31-point agenda a success.”

In conclusion, the NCC’s formation can be seen as a major transition in the political history of Bangladesh as it directly seeks to3 disrupt the monopoly rule of the BNP and Awami League. The postponement of elections during Yunus’s tenure, with one of the NCC leaders being a close aide, raises suspicion that why this postponement this is a well thought out plan to allow the NCC time to become politically active and strengthen its grip.

Nonetheless, the rise of the NCC may be contained by the BNP as well, perhaps making use of the networks it has with Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh (Jamaat) and the Bangladesh Hindu Mahajot (BHM) both of which are extremist parties and can be utilized to split NCC youth along religious lines for power.