National interests previously sold to India, now to US: Left alliance protests NCT lease

Democratic Left Alliance and Anti-Fascist Left Front today jointly held a rally demanding an end to moves to lease out the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) to a foreign company.

The rally, held in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka, was presided over by Democratic Left Alliance leader and General Secretary of Socialist Party of Bangladesh Bazlur Rashid Firoz.

Speakers at the rally included Communist Party of Bangladesh President Sazzad Zahir Chandan; coordinator of the Anti-Fascist Left Front, Subhrangshu Chakraborty; standing committee member of Bangladesh Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, Mushtaq Hossain; presidium member of the Revolutionary Communist League, Prof Abdus Sattar; and General Secretary of the Democratic Revolutionary Party, Mosrefa Mishu, among others.

Chandan said the government was moving ahead with the NCT lease initiative just days before the national election -- "pushing the country into a dangerous situation".

“The current government is unelected and therefore has no mandate to enter into international agreements on matters of national importance,” he added.

The speakers said leasing port terminals to foreign companies would pose serious threats to independence, sovereignty and security.

They alleged that the previous authoritarian government remained in power for 15 years without elections by compromising national interests in favour of Indian imperialism, and that the current government is now sacrificing those interests to serve US imperialism.