Muhammad Yunusโ National Citizen Party (NCP) has never disclosed its source of funds since its inception on February 28, when it arranged a lavish ceremony with government assistance at Manik Mia Avenue.
Later, the party hosted an iftar party at a five-star hotel.
Before the formation of the party, the leaders of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement (ADSM) and the National Citizen Committee occupied two floors at Rupayan Centre in the Banglamotor area.
Despite being pressed many times, none of the top leaders disclosed their source of funds and evaded the questions by saying that they have well-wishers who provide funds, cars, and other necessary logistics. At one point, NCP Convener Nahid Islam, also a former adviser, said that disclosure of the list would harm their donors.
However, when claims of taking donations from some large conglomerates, including the Bashundhara Group, Meghna Group, City Group, and Orion Group, came to light, the NCP leaders did not protest. One such claim mentioned Tk1,500 crore from Bashundhara Group alone and another Tk150 crore from S Alam Group.
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Since the NCP was formed with the direct patronage of Yunus and his gang of power usurpers, the illegal and unconstitutional interim government has always provided funds, transport, and security during every political gathering of the party.
Their behavioural pattern matches that of Prof Yunus, who has never been clean in his financial transactions and has failed to properly operate Grameen Bank and other organisations that he founded since 1983.
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Yunus, obviously, also remains silent or inactive when the NCP members commit any crime and later moves forward to defend them and castigate the critics. There are clear instructions to the administration, the police, and the judiciary to treat them as a privileged group.
The same is seen during July when the NCP is carrying out a road march programme across the country to drum up public support, eyeing the next elections, as the eroding popularity has made Yunus concerned about its fate.
During its March to Gopalganj programme last Wednesday, the country saw a huge number of police and army personnel deployed to ensure security for the NCP leaders, who had plans to demolish Bangabandhuโs mausoleum at Tungipara, around 19km from the town, according to their social media posts.
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The presence of two advisers, including mob leader-turned-adviser Asif Mahmud, at the Police Headquarters for monitoring the situation on the ground implies that the government was all set to stage a massacre, which claimed at least five deaths from gunshots and injuries to scores of others.
The subsequent curfew, raids by the joint forces, no autopsy for the deceased, and the statements of the Chief Adviserโs Office, the police, and the armyโdenying any wrongdoing on their part and blaming the Awami Leagueโare the other signs of complicity.
Journalist Masood Kamal has long been supporting the NCP leaders as they are young, expecting that they would bring a change in the political culture of Bangladesh.
But he has recently been frustrated over their traditional and violent activities.
The journalist recently questioned the governmentโs spending for the NCP programmes across the country, especially for the Gopalganj rally, where the army was deployed with APCs and lethal weapons.
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He researched it and said in his YouTube channel โKothaโ that it needs Tk72 lakh per hour when the president of the country goes outside the capital, and the amount is Tk81 lakh for the prime minister.
For the NCPโs Gopalganj tour, which lasted for an hour or so, the government had to spend Tk8 crore from the exchequer.
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