The president and general secretary of the Awami League affiliate student organization, Chhatra League, have been facing pressure from three sides to announce the full central committee.
Rezwanul Haque Chowdhury Shovon, the president, and Golam Rabbani, the general secretary, are countering pressure from Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, top Awami League brass, and former Chhatra League leaders, to form a full-fledged central committee.
Awami League Joint General Secretary, Abdur Rahman, who was assigned to help solve the matter—along with four other central leaders— told Dhaka Tribune, the seven-day deadline set by the prime minister to form the committee ended recently.
“Chhatra League leaders failed to form the committee within the given time,” Abdur said. “However, it will be formed within this month.”
According to Awami League sources, Sheikh Hasina expressed her anger over the recent activities of Chhatra League—and Shovon and Rabbani’s failure to form the committee—at a meeting with the central leaders at the Ganabhaban, on April 16.
Both Awami League and Chhatra League sources claimed that Shovon and Rabbani had twice submitted lists of the full committee to the prime minister, but the lists were rejected. She then gave the duo a seven-day deadline to come up with a new committee, which they failed to meet. Sheikh Hasina also directed them to form a full committee by coordinating with former Chhatra League leaders.
Meanwhile, a powerful faction within Chhatra League has been giving ultimatums to the president and the general secretary to form the committee.
There were allegations against this faction of vandalizing the celebratory stalls—made for Pohela Boishakh—on the Dhaka University premises, after the Chhatra League leaders failed to meet the ultimatums.
Chhatra League ex-President, Saifur Rahman Sohag, and ex-General Secretary, Zakir Hossain, are also pressuring Shovon and Rabbani to include their own men in the committee, according to a close aide of Sohag.
However, Joint General Secretary of Awami League, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, told Dhaka Tribune that Sohag and Zakir were given the responsibility to help Shovon and Rabbani form the committee, by party leaders. Neither Shovon and Rabbani, nor Sohag and Zakir, agreed to comment on the issues.
