Student organizations have decided not to announce any separate political programs for at least one month to consolidate the upsurge and will not observe August 15 as National Mourning Day.
This decision was made during a meeting held on Monday, organized by the Liaison Committee of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement at TSC.
At least 35 student political organizations participated in the meeting, including Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, Islami Chhatra Shibir, Bangladesh Chhatra Union (Ragib Nayeem), Bangladesh Chhatra Federation, Ganatantrik Chhatra Shakti, Pahari Chhatra Parishad, Bangladesh Khelafat Chhatra Mojlish, and Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Mojlish.
However, Biplabi Chhatra Moitree, Democratic Student Council, Samajtantrik Chhatra Front and Chhatra Union (Mahir Reza) chose not to participate, as their leaders believe that including Chhatra Shibir and other religion-based student organizations contradicts the anti-autocratic, non-communal political aspirations of Dhaka University, which emerged from the anti-autocratic movement of 1990.
The student leaders reached a consensus that leaders and activists of Chhatra League cannot remain on campus. They also issued a written statement indicating they would not observe August 15 as National Mourning Day.
According to the press release, since August 15 has become a political and cultural symbol of Awami fascism and conspiracies are allegedly being hatched again under the leadership of the Awami League, it is deemed inappropriate to observe August 15 as National Mourning Day to protect lives and properties and consolidate the uprising.
The press release further states: “The student organizations will not announce any separate programs to counter the conspiracies against the revolution that emerged in July-August. Instead, they will focus on consolidating the upsurge and creating resistance against the counter-revolution.”
Student politics will remain suspended until the leaders of the student organizations reach a consensus, as mentioned in the press release.
Other political parties or student organizations are not to interfere in the policy-making decisions of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement. However, other student political organizations are encouraged to operate under the banner of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.
Asif Mahmud and Nahid Islam from the government's advisory council and student representatives attended the meeting. Mahfuz Alam, coordinator of the Liaison Committee, and members Nasiruddin Patwary and Ariful Islam Adib were also present.
Why 4 left-wing parties refused to participate
"Initially, there was some ambiguity about who would attend the meeting and what the agenda would be. Later, when it was confirmed, it became clear that many religion-based political organizations, including Jatiya Chhatra Samaj and Islami Chhatra Shibir, would be present at this meeting. The presence of these organizations in a meeting organized at Dhaka University is incompatible with the university's history of struggle. It also goes against the consensus of all the active organizations of the anti-autocratic movement of 1990, which denies the history of that struggle. As a result, we decided not to attend the meeting," said Jabir Ahmed Jubel, General Secretary of Biplabi Chhatra Moitree, to this correspondent.
When asked about their refusal to participate in the meeting, Saidedul Hoq Nissan, President of the Democratic Student Council, said: "Representatives of almost all communal student organizations, including 'Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir,' an organization formed by the forces of genocide during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971, were present at that meeting! This presence disregards the anti-autocratic, non-communal political aspirations of Dhaka University, which were shaped by the blood of the martyrs of the 1990 anti-autocratic movement. We do not support the project of rehabilitating another group of undemocratic, communal forces at Dhaka University by displacing the fascist Chhatra League."
"After the movement ended, keeping a platform alive and attempting to occupy various positions of opportunity and control in the name of that platform contradicts the main spirit of the movement," he added.
"Furthermore, the leaders of the anti-discrimination student movement are spreading illogical, undemocratic opinions in favor of banning student politics on the one hand, while on the other hand, they are organizing meetings with political student organizations," he continued.
"Bangladesh Chhatra Shibir, the genocidal killers of 1971 and the collaborators of autocracy, along with these two organizations, were unanimously banned in the Dhaka University Environment Council at that time. Although some leaders of the anti-discrimination student movement have forgotten the history of Dhaka University's long struggle, the leaders of the leftist student organizations who were present at that meeting—many of whose leaders and activists were martyred by these reactionary forces—know how to honor the martyrs of their organization after such a meeting," he said.
