Quitting 20-Party: Rifts emerge in NAP, NDP

Internal rifts emerged in the leaderships of the Bangladesh National Awami Party (NAP) and National Democratic Party (NDP), soon after the two parties had severed ties with the BNP-led 20-party alliance.

Both the parties at a press conference on October 16 cut ties with the 20-party alliance citing the BNP's alliance with Oikyafront, who they said were actors of 1/11.

Jebel Rahman Ghani, chairman of Bangladesh National Awami Party, also known as Bangladesh NAP, was expelled yesterday by one of the party's senior leaders, MN Shaon Siddiqui, for what he said was a "violation of the party charter".

However, Ghani claimed that it was Shaon who was expelled from the party for breaching party discipline.

"He [Shaon] does not belong to the party anymore," Golam Mostofa, general secretary of the party said.

Meanwhile, Shaon, who now claims to be the party chief, rejoined the BNP-led alliance again yesterday.

Elsewhere, Mokaddim Hossain, senior presidium member of National Democratic Party (NDP), expelled party Chairman Gulam Murtaza and became the acting chairman, citing breach of party discipline as the cause for the expulsion.

In a similar turn of events, Murtaza also expelled Mokaddim yesterday.

"He [Mokaddim] cannot expel me as per the party charter. Rather, the party empowers me to expel him and that's what I have done," Murtaza said.

The expulsion and counter expulsion appear to put both parties an embarrassing situation.

National Awami Party

The party started its journey in 1957 under the leadership of Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, according to the party leaders.

After Bhashani's death, the party split into two.

Moshiur Rahman, popularly known as Jadu Mia, took charge of one of the factions and named it Bangladesh NAP.

The parties' activities were suspended after Jadu Mia joined BNP in the late 70s.

In December 2006, Jadu Mia's son Shafiqul Ghani Swapan revived the party and it registered with the Election Commission (EC) in 2008.

After Swapan's death in 2009, Jebel was made the chairman of the party.

In 2012, Bangladesh NAP joined the BNP-led 20-party alliance and boycotted the January 5 election held in 2014.

The party currently has 71 central committee members and it has full committees in 38 districts, party leaders said.

NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY

NDP was formed in 1989 under the leadership of Anwar Zahid, the former information minister and a journalist, said the party leaders.

At the time, Gulam Murtaza was the senior vice chairman of the party and executed war criminal Salauddin Quader Chowdhury was the general secretary.

In 1990, Zahid left the party and joined the BNP, leaving no time for Murtaza to become the acting chairman of the party.

In 1991, Salahuddin became a lawmaker under NDP.

NDP participated in the February 15, 1996 election which Salauddin Quader boycotted.

When another election was held in June, 1996, Salauddin joined the BNP and became a lawmaker. Murtaza had remained in the party since then.

In 2012, NDP joined the BNP-led 20-party alliance.

The party has 51 central committee members and 30 committees across the country but most of those are inactive, said Murtaza, adding that they applied to the EC to get the registration but had not gotten it yet.