Salahuddin questions NCP’s goals of second republic, Constituent Assembly

He says stretching the democratic process can’t be without “motives”

BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed has raised questions about the National Citizen Party's, or NCP’s, promises of establishing a “second republic” and “Constituent Assembly election”.

“Has our current republic fallen ill? When is a second republic established?” he asked during a conference on Saturday afternoon.

“Why should there be a Constituent Assembly election? There could be motives behind this,” he added.

The NCP, which was founded by the Anti-discrimination Student Movement and the National Citizens’ Committee—two groups that played a central role in the July Uprising—will be led by Nahid Islam, who resigned from his post as an interim government advisor to formally step into politics.

Nahid presented the party's manifesto at the NCP's launch on Friday, highlighting the goal of establishing a society based on equality and justice. It brought up a plan to establish a second republic and prioritised the Constituent Assembly election to formulate a fresh Constitution.

Salahuddin said: "I don't want to criticise. Every political party will have its own policy, ideology and such declarations in its constitution and manifesto."

“Some want socialism, some want something else and others may want to establish a religious state. A political party’s manifesto could contain all these things,” he said.

“I wanna ask our new friends… what does a republic literally mean? A republic is where elected representatives will run the state and they will have a ‘nominal’ or ‘elected head of state’. Do we not have that?”

‘MOTIVES’ BEHIND CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY

Salahuddin said: “Those who are bringing up this second republic, either don’t understand or do, that a conspiracy to plunge our state system into a longer undemocratic process is in the making.

Criticising the demand to hold local polls before general election, he said: “Did the Aug 5 mass uprising take place over the member and chairman elections? Did Aug 5 occur for the country’s municipal, Upazila and chairman polls? Then why are they demanding member and chairman elections?

“Maybe the longer the passage of democratic processes, the better it is for them. Someone’s stay in power will be stretched and others’ desire will be fulfilled.”