“I will never indulge in any politics, hurting the religious sentiment of the people of my country,” Hasnat Abdullah wrote on his verified Facebook page on Saturday, a day after the inception of the NCP, amid the country’s volatile political situation.

Preferring to be known as a true Muslim rather than a politician, the visionary student leader said, “I am a Muslim before I am a politician. This is my identity, and it always will be.”

“Nothing against religious values will ever have a place in my or our politics,” wrote Hasnat who received strong applause from the audience when he was addressing a mammoth rally in Dhaka on Friday, chanting the slogan Inqlaab Jindabad means long live the revolution.