National Citizen Party (NCP) convener Nahid Islam has stated that the 2024 mass uprising sought not merely a change of government but the complete dismantling of the fascist system. She made these remarks during Sunday’s manifesto declaration rally at Dhaka’s Central Shaheed Minar.
“New independence wasn’t achieved just to replace rulers,” Nahid asserted. “We demanded the abolition of the very system that bred fascism.”
Exactly one year earlier, Nahid – then coordinating the anti-discrimination student movement that led the uprising – had announced the one-point demand for government resignation from this same venue, before NCP’s formation.
Marking that anniversary, he declared NCP’s 24-point manifesto from the historic site, recalling: “That one-point demand wasn’t issued by any party, but by Bangladesh’s people and the revolutionary students. The true announcers were the masses.”
Nahid outlined NCP’s vision for “a political arrangement preventing any return of autocracy or fascism.” The manifesto’s first demand proposes a new constitution through a constituent assembly to establish a Second Republic.
Earlier, NCP’s chief coordinator Sarjis Alam vowed from the stage: “We won’t tolerate the Mujibist constitution anymore. Today we’ve come to dismantle it completely and demand a new charter.” He added, “This Bangladesh will have no place for Islamophobia nor anti-Islam sentiment. We’ll permit neither jihadism nor anti-terror theatrics.”
Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain followed, advocating an accountable governance system “where every representative from PM to councilors answers directly to the people.” He warned against reducing the July Charter to empty symbolism, demanding constitutional and legal foundations for the document, with interim government implementation.
Despite nationwide marches preceding the event, the rally failed to draw expected crowds by afternoon.