United News of Bangladesh

Dr Tasnim Jara, former senior joint member secretary of National Citizen Party (NCP) who contested the 13th parliamentary election as an independent candidate, on Monday dismissed claims that she held negotiations with BNP as false and imaginary. In a post on her verified Facebook page, Jara responded to what she said were rumours circulating about her political activities. “A false claim is being spread that Tasnim Jara had negotiations with BNP. Some are even claiming that Jara maintains a channel with BNP and that BNP gave her a green signal,” she wrote. Rejecting the claims, Jara said she had never engaged in any such discussion with BNP or any other political party. “I have never had any such discussion with BNP or any other party,” she said. She challenged those making the allegations to provide evidence. “Ask those who are spreading these claims, when, where and with whom this negotiation take place. They will not be able to provide any names, dates or evidence,” the former NCP leader wrote. She said no such incident had ever occurred and alleged that the rumours were being spread to serve a particular narrative. “The purpose of spreading this falsehood is to create a narrative that suits certain interests.” she added. Jara contested the 13th parliamentary election from Dhaka-9 constituency as an independent candidate but was defeated.

Police arrested National Citizen Party (NCP) Central Joint Member Secretary Tarek Reza in Jhenaidah on Sunday in connection with a case filed over alleged assault, vandalism and death threats. The case was filed by former Jhenaidah district Chhatra Dal vice-president Enamul Kabir. A protest press conference against what NCP leaders described as a “false case” was scheduled at the Family Zone auditorium near Jhenaidah Stadium at 6:30pm. 22 NCP leaders named in Chatra Dal case According to party sources, Tarek Reza arrived in Jhenaidah from Dhaka to attend the programme. Police arrested him after the vehicle carrying him stopped in front of the restaurant. Jhenaidah Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Asaduzzaman, along with members of a special police team and plainclothes intelligence personnel, was present during the arrest. OC Asaduzzaman said a case had been filed on Saturday against Tarek Reza and 22 others on charges of assault, vandalism and issuing death threats. The NCP also alleged that Detective Branch (DB) police from Jashore arrested another youth named Ayan in connection with the same case. The development follows a clash involving local Chhatra Dal leaders and activists during a visit by NCP Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary to Jhenaidah on Friday. Following the incident, Tarek Reza filed a case with Jhenaidah Sadar Police Station against eight local Chhatra Dal leaders and activists. The next day, Enamul Kabir filed a counter-case against 22 people, including Tarek Reza. Police, however, have not arrested any Chhatra Dal activists in the case so far.

A case has been filed against leaders and activists of the National Citizen Party (NCP) in Jhenaidah amid an ongoing political conflict between the party and Chhatra Dal. The case was filed on Saturday with Jhenaidah Sadar Police Station by former vice-president of Jhenaidah district Chatra Dal, Md Enamul Kabir. In the case, NCP central joint general secretary, Tarekul Islam Tarek Reza, was made the prime accused. Besides, 22 named accused and 50 to 60 unidentified persons were sued. Other accused include Mehedi Hasan Ashik, Siam Uddin Turjo, Tanaim, Asif, Ayon Rahman Khan, Tain, Joynal, Alamgir, Shahriar Abhik, Lababul Bashar Labu, Shihab Shah, Nayan, Sultan, Hridoy, Rubayet Hasan Turjo, Sheikh Sami, Rifat, Hakim, Kaiser and Imran, Hridoy Master along with 50 to 60 unidentified individuals. According to the case statement, Enamul Kabir alleged that Nasir Uddin Patwari made “offensive and defamatory remarks” in his speech in Jhenaidah, about BNP Chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, Jhenaidah district BNP president Advocate Abdul Majid and Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman, allegedly at the instigation of prime accused Tarek Reza. Md Asaduzzaman, Jhenaidah Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge(OC), said that a regular case had been filed under relevant sections of the Penal Code following the written complaint. Police operations are underway to investigate the incident properly and arrest the accused, he added. Earlier, the NCP had filed a case against 115 leaders and activists, including the president and general secretary of Jhenaidah district Chhatra Dal. Chhatra Dal filed the counter-case within 24 hours of that case.

National Citizen Party (NCP) chief coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary was attacked with eggs in Jhenaidah on Friday afternoon, triggering clashes that left at least six people injured, according to police and party sources. The incident took place around 2pm in front of the Old Collectorate Mosque in Jhenaidah town after Jumu’ah prayers. Nasiruddin Patwary voices concern over Sylhet roads, urges quick repairs Following the attack, NCP activists staged a protest procession and later took position at Jhenaidah Sadar Police Station, demanding improved law and order in the country and calling for the resignation of the home minister and law minister. NCP joint member secretary and Jhenaidah municipality mayoral candidate Tarek Reza said Nasiruddin Patwary was leaving the Old DC Court Jame Mosque after Friday prayers when Islami University (IU) Chhatra Dal convener Sahed Ahmed approached him to speak. During the conversation, Chhatra Dal activists allegedly threw eggs at him from behind, triggering tensions. He said the situation quickly escalated into a clash involving both sides, during which several NCP activists were injured. The NCP alleged that Chhatra Dal supporters also hurled bricks during the attack. However, IU Chhatra Dal convener Sahed Ahmed denied involvement, saying he went to request Nasiruddin Patwary to avoid making controversial remarks against BNP senior leaders during his district visits. Following the attack, Nasiruddin Patwary strongly condemned the incident, alleging that people backed by the law minister and Jhenaidah BNP leaders were involved. He also demanded the resignation of the home minister and law minister, claiming that the law and order situation had deteriorated severely. Doctors at Jhenaidah Sadar Hospital said five to six injured youths received primary treatment after being hit by bricks and other objects. Jhenaidah Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Asaduzzaman said police brought the situation under control and stepped up patrols in key areas of the town He said a complaint had not yet been filed, but legal action would be taken after investigation once a written complaint is received.

Economists and policy analysts on Thursday called for a fundamental departure from the routine budget-making process, urging the government to craft a genuinely people-oriented budget backed by comprehensive tax reforms, digitised revenue collection anda faceless tax administration system. They made the call at a discussion titled "Bangladesh's Budget Amid Global Uncertainty: Priorities in Employment, Investment and Reform, and an Equitable, Prosperous Bangladesh" organised by the National Citizen Party's (NCP) Shadow Budget Committee at Kakrail, Dhaka. Opening the event, NCP Member Secretary Akhter Hossen criticised the budgets of the previous Awami League era as little more than paper documents serving a corporate clique that siphoned public money abroad. "Our expectation from the government is simple, this budgetmust not be a looters' budget. It must be for ordinary people." He noted that while education, health and marginalised communities are mentioned every year as budget priorities, the final document invariably mirrors the preceding year's allocations with cosmetic changes. NCP Shadow Budget Committee Chief Atik Mujahid said the committee consulted workers in Ashulia, small traders at Kawran Bazar and Chittagong's Khatun Bazar, SME owners, university students and government officials before formulating its recommendations. "People don't want charity from the government, they want fairness," he said. "They want a tax system they can trust, assurance that their investments are protected, and accountability in how public money is spent." Former Chairman, Sonali Bank PLC Mohammad Muslim Chowdhury warned of serious structural problems in financing the upcoming budget, pointing to the country's chronically low tax-to-GDP ratio. "If the government borrows from the domestic market, private sector borrowing costs will rise and investment will suffer. Printing money is not an option either, given persistently high inflation." He recommended consolidating over 100 social safety net programmes across 20 ministries under a single digital umbrella, which he said could reduce administrative costs and expand beneficiary coverage by 30 to 40 percent. He also called for closure or liquidation of insolvent banks and a fully faceless, digital tax collection system. Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Additional Research Director Towfiqul Islam Khan flagged a troubling fiscal reality: in FY2023-24, the government's current expenditure exceeded total revenue by Tk 40,000 crore, forcing a 25 percent cut in development spending in critical sectors like health and education. Private sector credit growth has since fallen to just 4 percent. He pointed out that despite legal requirements under the Public Finance and Budget Management Act 2009, including quarterly budget progress reports and submission of revised budgets by March, successive governments have routinely flouted these provisions. "Quarterly progress reports have disappeared from the website altogether. That is a transparency failure." To plug tax evasion, he proposed linking National ID cards with bank accounts, land registration and vehicle registration data within an integrated digital tax framework, and called for separating NBR's policy and collection functions to eliminate conflicts of interest. Development economist Dr Khan Zahirul Islam of the University of British Columbia, Canada, described the banking sector, the lifeline of any economy, as effectively "destroyed." He cited non-performing loans worth Tk 6.30 lakh crore against a proposed annual budget of Tk 9.30 lakh crore. "Had this money not been looted, imagine where our budget implementation would stand." he said, adding that the S Alam Group alone is alleged to have laundered Tk1.90 lakh crore, equivalent to the entire Annual Development Programme allocation. Zahirul also questioned the government's recent amendment to the Bank Resolution Act, which he said reopens the door for former owners implicated in banking irregularities to reclaim control of their institutions. NCP Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary, who chaired the session, stressed that without meaningful tax reform, public trust in the state would erode irreversibly. "The poor pay taxes while the wealthy loot the system," he said, warning that any further delay in NBR reform would deepen the disconnect between citizens and the state. The session was moderated by NCP Dhaka Metropolitan North Member Secretary (Acting) Sadia Farzana Dina.  

Hasnat Abdullah, chief organiser ,South, of the National Citizen Party (NCP) and MP from Cumilla-4, has said that the Awami League (AL) has no right to engage in politics in Bangladesh. “A party whose top leaders flee the country leaving behind millions of its leaders and activists has no right to do politics in this country,” he said. “We may have differences among ourselves, but we are united on the issue of the Awami League. The party will never be allowed to do politics in Bangladesh again.” Home Minister admitted ‘political hypocrisy’, Law Minister misled parliament: Hasnat Abdullah He made the remarks while addressing a procession and roadside rally as the chief guest at Chauddagram Bazar in Cumilla on Monday. Hasnat Abdullah said, “We have no houses or cars in Begumpara, but many of our elders own houses and vehicles there. Their children study abroad and go overseas for treatment. While ordinary people receive treatment in the country, some ‘special’ individuals go abroad. We must come out of this discriminatory system.” He also stressed the need to build an unemployment-free Bangladesh by engaging the youth in productive work. “Merit must be ensured in every government sector. At the same time, employment opportunities should be created in the private sector, and the SME sector must be made more dynamic. These demands should be included in the upcoming budget. The country’s education system also needs modernisation,” he added. Referring to the current political and administrative situation, he said, “We are now in the opposition. Some overenthusiastic police personnel, in hopes of promotion, are assaulting and harassing leaders and activists. However, this is not solely the fault of the police. The police administration must be kept free from political influence. In the past, people were arrested for posts on social media, and the same situation still exists. We do not want such a Bangladesh.” Describing Chauddagram as a border area, he said, “Those involved in drug trafficking are enemies of the country and the nation. They are destroying the youth. The police and drug traders cannot coexist. A zero-tolerance policy must be adopted against drug dealers.” The event was chaired by Abu Sufian Raihan, organising secretary of Jatiya Jubo Shakti’s Cumilla division, and moderated by Mamun Mazumder, joint convener of Chauddagram upazila NCP. Besides, leaders from various levels, also spoke.

The National Citizen Party (NCP) on Saturday strongly condemned the attack and vandalism at the historic Shah Ali Mazar in Mirpur, calling on the government to ensure a swift and impartial investigation into the incident. In a statement, the party said the assault on a site of religious and historical significance was not only a sign of deteriorating law and order but also a grave threat to social harmony, coexistence and public safety. NCP calls for national emergency over measles outbreak in Bangladesh The NCP's Dhaka Metropolitan North unit urged law enforcement agencies to bring the perpetrators to justice without delay and take effective measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents. The party emphasised that shrines and mazars should be viewed not merely as centres of religious worship, but as open spaces of social, cultural and human harmony for people of all faiths, communities and persuasions. For generations, such places have served as symbols of mutual coexistence, respect and human connection in our society, the statement reads. NCP called on the government to take concrete steps to make the mazar premises a safe, orderly and inclusive space for visitors, devotees and ordinary citizens from across the country. Earlier in the day, NCP Senior Joint Convener Ariful Islam Adeeb and Joint Convener Sarwar Tushar visited the mazar and held discussions with the shrine authorities. The attack took place late Thursday night when a group of men stormed the century-old Shah Ali Bogdadi Mazar in Mirpur-1, vandalising the premises and assaulting people present at the site.

The National Citizen Party (NCP) on Sunday announced its first batch of 100 candidates for upcoming local government elections, covering upazila and municipalities across the country. The names were unveiled by NCP Chief Organiser (Northern Region) Sarjis Alam at a press conference held at the party's temporary office at Banglamotor. Sarjis said over 1,000 applications had been submitted to the party for local government seats, from which the initial 100 were selected. "We will announce another 100 candidates in the second phase on May 20. This nomination process will continue.” He said candidates will be drawn not only from party ranks but also from other political parties, provided they meet certain criteria. “Applicants must be hardworking, acceptable to people, free from any history of oppression, having no direct involvement with the previous fascist government or crimes associated with it.” “We will do a thorough vetting process, and if anyone from another political party wishes to join, we will make every effort to give them the opportunity,” Sarjis said. He added that the candidate selection process has been designed to ensure broad social representation, with students, workers, women and members of the Hindu community all given the opportunity to contest under the NCP banner.

National Citizen Party (NCP) Convener Nahid Islam on Saturday accused the government of betraying the aspirations of the 2024 July Revolution, demanding immediate implementation of constitutional reforms endorsed by the people through a referendum. Speaking as chief guest at a dialogue titled 'Reform Deadlock: Way Forward,' organised by the NCP Reform Committee at a city hotel, Nahid said the revolution was a historic rejection of authoritarianism that called for structural transformation, not cosmetic change. “The 2024 revolution was a historic rejection of authoritarianism. The people of Bangladesh demanded not cosmetic reform, but structural transformation,” he said. Referring to the referendum on the July Charter and 48 reform proposals, he said the people overwhelmingly approved both the reforms and the formation of a Constitutional Reform Council mandated to implement them within 180 working days. Nahid, who also serves as Opposition Chief Whip in parliament, levelled sharp criticism at the BNP-led government, alleging it had reneged on pre-election commitments. “Before the election, BNP leaders, including the current Prime Minister, publicly supported the referendum framework. Yet after assuming office, the government refused to form the Constitutional Reform Council.” He further alleged that the government repealed key reform ordinances covering judicial independence, anti-corruption measures, police accountability and enforced disappearances, while simultaneously expanding executive authority through new legislation. Reaffirming NCP's stance, Nahid said the party remains committed to pursuing democratic and institutional reforms both inside parliament and beyond it. “The struggle for a democratic state based on justice, accountability, pluralism and institutional reforms continues.” Diplomats, representatives of international organisations, civil society members and human rights activists attended the dialogue. NCP Reform Implementation Committee Deputy Chief Sarwar Tushar, Joint Member Secretary Alauddin Mohammad and Nusrat Tabassum also addressed the session. Central leaders Javed Rasin, Mahmuda Mitu and Faridul Hoque were among those present.

The agriculture cell of the National Citizen Party (NCP) on Tuesday submitted a memorandum to the Ministry of Agriculture urging the government to take immediate steps to address the devastating crop losses suffered by farmers in the haor region due to flashfloods and upstream water. The memorandum, signed by NCP Joint Chief Coordinator and Agriculture Secretary Golam Mortuja Selim, was received by ministry officials in the absence of Agriculture Minister Mohammed Aminur Rashid. NCP central members and agriculture cell members Touhid Ahmed Ashik and Md Omar Faruk were also present on the occasion. In the memorandum, the party said thousands of hectares of ripe Boro paddy have already gone under water across vast haor areas in Sunamganj, Habiganj, Netrokona and Kishoreganj districts, while the remaining crops face acute risk. It noted that around 37 percent of the crop is still standing in the fields in an unripe state, with rapid deterioration feared due to sudden flooding. Even harvested paddy is rotting due to inadequate drying and storage facilities, the memorandum said, adding that fodder for livestock has also been destroyed, pushing farming families to the brink. The party identified labour shortages, lack of mechanised support and weak embankments as factors compounding the crisis, warning that many farmers have already lost everything and now face food insecurity. It called on the government to declare flood-affected districts as disaster zones and provide emergency cash assistance and free food aid for affected farmers. The NCP also demanded full waiver of agricultural loans for completely ruined farmers along with easy-term re-financing, and the immediate deployment of mobile drying units and temporary dryers on an emergency basis. It urged the government to launch special paddy-harvesting programmes with Army and administrative support, ensure adequate harvesters and mechanised assistance, and expedite repairs to embankments while constructing durable long-term flood barriers. The memorandum further called for implementation of an integrated master plan for haor management, modernisation of early flood forecasting and warning systems, introduction of crop insurance for farmers, and preparation of a full list of affected farmers to ensure rapid rehabilitation. "If the haor farmers survive, the nation's food security is secured," the memorandum said, calling on the government to act without delay.