NPP's Nilu announces breakaway National Democratic Front

The BNP-led 20-Party alliance split on Thursday after National Peoples' Party (NPP) chief Sheikh Shawkat Hossain Nilu announced formation of a new political alliance called the National Democratic Front (NDF).

Setting to rest speculations of a rift in the BNP-led alliance during the last few days, Nilu said he was not only breaking away but carving out a new alliance at a press conference in Dhaka on Thursday.

The 20-Party alliance had expelled the NPP president after he attended a party at the Ganabhaban hosted by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in July this year.

"I am launching the National Democratic Front," Nilu said after paying respects to leaders like, Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Ziaur Rahman.

National Democratic Party's Secretary General Alamgir Majumder has been made the Secretary General of the NDF alliance.

The alliance comprises of National Peoples' Party led by Sheikh Shawkat Hossain Nilu, National Democratic Party (NDP) led by Alamgir Majumder, Jatiyatabadi Ganatantrik Dal led by Abdul Malek Chowdhury, Bangladesh Muslim League led by Zobaiyda Quader Choudhury, National Awami Party, NAP led by Sheikh Anwarul Haque, Labour Party led by Sekandar Ali, Bangladesh Islamic Party led by Abdur Rashid Prdhan, Insaaf Party led by Shahid Chowdhury, Bhashani Front led by Mamtaz Chowdhury and Trinamool NAP Bhashani led by Parveen Naser Sultana.

Among these, the NDP, Muslim League, Islamic Party and Labour Party are in the BNP-led Alliance.

Breakaway factions of these parties, just like that of NPP's Nilu, have joined the new alliance.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, however, said on Tuesday that all is well with the front led by her party.

"Many are saying the alliance is crumbling. I'm telling you it won't break up. We are strong and we will remain strong.

"The 20-party Alliance leaders are patriots. They cannot side with traitors and agents," she had told a public rally in Brahmanbaria.

The BNP had expanded its Four-Party Alliance to an 18-Party Alliance during the Awami League-led Grand Alliance government's last tenure in power in a bid to get over the humiliating electoral defeat in Dec 2008.

After the Jan 5 election was boycotted by the BNP and its allies, it became a 20-Party Alliance after breakaway factions of the Jatiya Party and Samyabadi Dal joined them.

All the chiefs of the ten political parties were present at the launching ceremony of the new coalition at the auditorium of the Institute of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) in Dhaka.