The Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) has issued show-cause notices to 10 senior leaders, including a former president and general secretary, after they boycotted a central committee meeting over the party's position on the slogan “Joy Bangla.”
The dispute began at an emergency meeting at Mukti Bhaban, the party's headquarters in Purana Paltan, where the central committee was to decide its position on the slogan, which the party leadership considers synonymous with the Awami League.
A section of the committee objected to settling the matter at the meeting. They demanded a special congress, arguing that a disagreement of such political significance should be decided by party delegates.
Their proposal was not accepted as an agenda item.
At least 10 central committee members then walked out and moved to another room in Mukti Bhaban. They waited until the evening before leaving the headquarters.
The following day, the party issued show-cause notices for opposing the decision and boycotting the meeting.
Those served notices include former CPB president Mohammad Shah Alam, former general secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince and former assistant general secretary Mihir Ghosh.
The others are central committee members Dr Fazlur Rahman, Paresh Kar, Motaleb Molla, Dr Sajedul Haque Rubel, Luna Noor, Anwar Hossain Reza and Lucky Akter.
All 10 have responded to the notices, according to party sources.
Most declined to comment publicly when contacted by Daily Waadaa. Several, however, spoke on condition of anonymity, maintaining that a special congress was necessary to resolve the dispute.
They described the disciplinary action as unjustified and alleged that it was intended to deepen divisions within the party.
A veteran central committee member who received a notice said the dissenting leaders had expected the presidium to intervene after their walkout.
“When someone walked out of a meeting like this, the presidium would come and ask them to return. This happened many times during our time as well,” the leader said.
“People would disagree, but after the presidium members requested them to return, they would rejoin the meeting.”
No such intervention took place this time, according to the leader.
The same central committee member alleged that the dispute reflected a wider ideological conflict within the CPB.
“There has been unrest within the party for a long time. Particularly after the 13th Congress, our general secretary has been posting recklessly,” the leader told Waadaa.
“Earlier, it seemed the conflict was only about leadership. Now it is becoming clear that the crisis concerns political ideology.”
The leader further alleged that the developments were part of a longstanding plan to weaken the party politically.
“It is now obvious that this has been planned for a long time. The objective is to politically hollow out the CPB.”
The dissenting leaders argue that the CPB constitution provides a mechanism for convening a special congress between regular congresses.
A central committee member told Waadaa that seeking such a congress was a constitutional right.
“Demanding a special congress is nothing new. It is provided for in the party constitution. If one-third of the central committee disagrees on an issue, such a demand can be made. In fact, more than that number of us have expressed disagreement,” the leader said.
The party's constitution, however, specifies a different threshold for a mandatory special congress.
Clauses 2 and 3 of Article 15 state that the central committee may convene a special congress between two regular congresses if necessary.
They also provide that a special congress must be called if one-third of the delegates to the previous congress submit a written demand.
If the central committee fails to convene the congress, those delegates may organise one themselves. Such a gathering is known as a Talabi Congress, or requisitioned congress.
The leaders facing disciplinary action said they were awaiting a decision on their proposal. If the central committee rejects it, they may seek to convene a Talabi Congress.
Waadaa contacted CPB President Kazi Sajjad Zahir Chandan, General Secretary Abdullah Kafi Ratan and several presidium members about the demand.
Ratan and presidium member Mujahidul Islam Selim declined to comment.
Chandan ruled out an extraordinary congress under the present circumstances.
“These matters are not under consideration by the central committee or by us. The party constitution has certain rules and procedures for this,” he said.
“Between two congresses, the central committee is the party's governing body. Everyone is obliged to abide by whatever decision this committee makes.”
Chandan said the central committee would answer for its decisions at the next regular congress.
Asked whether demanding a special congress was itself an offence, he said members were entitled to make such a request, but it would require central committee approval.
The current committee, led by Chandan and Ratan, was elected at the CPB's 13th Congress in September 2025.
Under the party's regular schedule, the 14th Congress is expected in September 2029 or early 2030.
The disciplinary action has generated criticism and support among CPB members, former activists and other figures associated with left-wing politics.
The chief news editor of an online news portal closely associated with CPB politics criticised the notices in a Facebook post.
The editor described the 10 leaders as supporters of the Liberation War and singled out former president Shah Alam, a student leader of the 1960s and freedom fighter, and former general secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince, who previously headed Bangladesh Chhatra Union.
The post accused the current CPB leadership of moving politically closer to Jamaat-e-Islami.
“Through this, the CPB led by Mujahidul Islam Selim and Kafi Ratan has formally begun its journey as Jamaat's C Team,” the editor wrote.
The post attracted nearly 300 comments, including reactions from current and former CPB activists and supporters of other left-wing organisations.
Some commenters supported the disciplinary measures. Others accused the leadership of abandoning the party's traditional political positions.
Several described the dispute as a conspiracy by capitalist interests.
Others directed criticism at the general secretary and senior leader Mujahidul Islam Selim, suggesting they should join Jamaat-e-Islami or Hefazat-e-Islam.
One commenter wrote: “It would be best if Mujahidul Islam Selim directly joined Jamaat and Hefazat. That would complete the picture.”
Another defended the party's decision.
“Those who have been served show-cause notices are all respected figures to us, but party discipline is above everything,” the commenter wrote.
A third suggested renaming the Communist Party of Bangladesh the “Comedians Party of Bangladesh.”
The exchanges reflect disagreement among party supporters over whether the disciplinary measures were justified and how the CPB should position itself in the current political environment.
CPB President Chandan rejected suggestions that the party was taking action against leaders because of their support for the Liberation War.
Asked whether the show-cause notices targeted leaders who upheld the Liberation War's political legacy, he said the allegations were being circulated by people outside the party.
He accused Awami League sympathisers of spreading fabricated accounts of the CPB's internal decisions on social media.
Chandan said show-cause notices were a routine disciplinary mechanism and were issued in response to alleged violations of party rules.
“Various quarters outside the party will say different things. They have said such things about us before,” he told Waadaa.
“At one time, communists were called atheists. At other times, all sorts of things were said about us.”
He maintained that the party was responsible for enforcing its own rules.
“But we have to maintain our own internal discipline within the party, don't we?”
The leadership has not publicly accepted the dissenting faction's argument that the dispute over “Joy Bangla” requires a special congress.
The dissenting leaders, meanwhile, have indicated that they will continue pressing for one despite the show-cause notices.
The disagreement has emerged alongside another development in left-wing politics.
Speaking about the new platform, Pathagar Andolan (Library Movement), Ruhin Hossain Prince told Waadaa that he had been invited in his capacity as a communist leader, not as a representative of his party.
Asked why the CPB president and general secretary had not been invited, he said that was a matter for the organisers to explain.
According to Ruhin, as far as he knew, leaders of all left-wing parties that support the Liberation War had been invited.
The former CPB general secretary and current central committee member declined to comment on the show-cause notice issued by the party.
However, he held the current president and general secretary entirely responsible for the situation.
Ruhin said questions about the show-cause notices should be directed to them.
He described the developments within the CPB as part of a planned conspiracy to split the party.
“Attempts have been made to divide the Communist Party for a long time. This is part of a conspiracy,” he told Waadaa.
“Those who do not want a principled political alternative to emerge in Bangladesh outside the two-party political system are trying to create divisions.
“Similar attempts were made in the 1990s. They began again after the last party congress.”
Meanwhile, the Communist Party of Bangladesh has published its official position on the slogan “Joy Bangla” in Saptahik Ekata, the party's weekly publication.
The statement said: “The central committee believes that our Liberation War was a people's war.
“Before the Liberation War, ‘Joy Bangla’ was a slogan of the Chhatra League and the Awami League. Following the Awami League's emergence as the dominant political party in the 1970 election, its party slogan became a national slogan.
“Our party made significant contributions to the Liberation War at both national and international levels, as well as on the battlefield. Consequently, we have a deep connection with the historical significance of this slogan and the spirit of the Liberation War.
“However, recognising the historical significance of a slogan, or having an association with it, does not mean that the Communist Party must adopt it as synonymous with its own political identity and class-based slogans.
“We must also remember that, after independence, the Awami League increasingly used this slogan to advance its partisan interests.
“Particularly during its prolonged period in power, the slogan was also used to legitimise exploitation, plunder, repression and authoritarian rule.
“As a result, for a section of society, ‘Joy Bangla’ and the Awami League's political position have become almost synonymous.”
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