The National Citizen Party (NCP) has threatened to wage street movement against what it called a "politically motivated" inquiry by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) against its Spokesperson Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, accusing the government of turning the anti-graft body into a “partisan tool”.
In a joint statement issued on Monday evening, NCP Convener Nahid Islam and Member Secretary Akhter Hossen said the ACC is using "rumours and politically motivated propaganda" spearheaded by the Awami League, which faces a ban on its activities, to justify the investigation, which proved that the government has "unmistakably politicised" the commission.
They alleged the ACC is being revived as a “political weapon”, reminiscent of the Awami League era, to tarnish the image of top leaders of the July uprising and suppress anti-fascist forces.
The NCP leaders claimed that the ACC's inquiry against Asif Mahmud stemmed from "false and misleading" reports published by a so-called online portal run by a leader of the banned Bangladesh Chhatra League, the Awami League's student wing.
"A commission that stages the drama of investigation based on baseless, imaginary reports fabricated by cadres of a banned student organisation cannot claim even a minimum of neutrality or moral standing," the statement reads.
It added that the move is designed to “politically harass” the architects of the mass uprising and pave the way for the return of "fascism."
The NCP said it stands ready to fully cooperate with any fair investigation, only if the commission is reconstituted as a genuinely independent and impartial body in line with the July National Charter 2025.
"If this unconstitutional and politicised commission, under the guise of a neutral probe, is turned into a tool to suppress the opposition and the July uprising fighters, the NCP will never accept it," it said.
The party urged the government to refrain from "following the footsteps of the fallen fascists."
It also called for an immediate end to what it described as a conspiratorial campaign to target political opponents, and demanded the reconstitution of the ACC in line with the spirit of the July Charter.
The NCP warned that it will launch a "strong resistance movement" on the streets against what they called the political abuse of power and a government "blueprint" against them if there is no end to harassment of the July fighters.