Prime minister's son Sajeeb Wazed Joy has extended full support to the ruling party's student front Chhatra League, at a time when the organisation has been making headlines for all kinds of wrong reasons, including criminal activities and intimidating people.
Joy, who advises his mother PM Sheikh Hasina on information and communication technology affairs, yesterday told Chhatra League men to “not get involved in any activity that may defame” the ruling party.
He was addressing a meeting with the Chhatra League at Ganabhaban, the official residence of the prime minister, when he called upon the student leaders to not allow any “criminal activities” on campuses.
On Wednesday, PM Sheikh Hasina, also president of the ruling Awami League, tasked two senior leaders to resolve the internal crisis of local unit of Chhatra League that has crippled the Chittagong University.
Earlier this month, Dhaka University authorities temporarily expelled four activists of the Chhatra League for assaulting a renowned photojournalist and his nieces on the campus.
Last year, several Chhatra League activists were sentenced to death by a trial court in Dhaka for assaulting and killing a tailor named Biswajit in Old Dhaka in 2012.
There are allegations that many Chhatra League leaders from various dormitories of the Dhaka University campus have been involved with mugging and extortion on the campus.
Yesterday's meeting was divided into two sessions. In the opening session he addressed the leaders of the organisation in the presence of media. In the second session, he answered questions from the leaders behind closed door where media was not allowed.
According to sources from the closed door meeting, Kazi Enayet, social services secretary of Chhatra League, told Joy: “Once Sheikh Hasina was our guardian. But because of the Election Commission's compulsions, she has pulled out. We want you [Joy] as our guardian if you agree to be.”
In reply, Joy reportedly said: “I have always been with you. There are legal matters involved. Let me see what I can do.”
In the opening session yesterday, Joy said: “My mother has been teaching me since my childhood to not defame my grandfather [Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman] no matter where I go, whatever I do. So, I request you to not do anything that tarnishes the historic image of the Chhatra League.”
Joy also said: “I know that when Awami League is in power, everyone becomes Chhatra League and Awami League for personal gains. On top of it, conspiracies are always there against us.”
He went on to say: “I want all members of the Chhatra League to study attentively to establish themselves, not to extort...There are many ways to earn money by dint of merit and honest work as the Awami League government is taking the country forward.”
More than a hundred leaders of the student body attended the meeting.
