TL;DR:
- Student leaders from July-August mass uprising are launching a new political party by February 2025, aiming to contest in the next general election while maintaining their current platforms as pressure groups.
- A four-member convening committee has been formed with Hasnat Abdullah, Arif Sohel, Abdul Hannan Masud, and Umama Fatima, establishing 12 district-level committees for the student platform and 15 for the Jatiya Nagorik Committee.
- The new party will adopt a balanced approach avoiding leftist or rightist views, focusing on addressing unemployment, economic development, and national unity while adhering to international standards.
- Members must cut ties with existing political organizations, with the party emphasizing women’s participation and maintaining accountability through continued oversight from the Nagorik Committee.
The student leaders who orchestrated Bangladesh’s historic July-August mass uprising are preparing to establish a new political party by February 2025, with plans to participate in the next general election.
The Anti-Discrimination Student Movement and Jatiya Nagorik Committee will spearhead this initiative while maintaining their roles as independent pressure groups. The new party aims to transcend traditional political divisions, adopting a balanced approach that neither leans left nor right.
A four-member convening committee has been established, featuring Hasnat Abdullah, Arif Sohel, Abdul Hannan Masud, and Umama Fatima. The movement has already formed 12 district-level committees, while the Jatiya Nagorik Committee has established 15.
“Our target is to field national figures as candidates, and the Jatiya Nagorik Committee is also working on how to create more national faces,” revealed a senior leader of the Jatiya Nagorik Committee. The party is actively identifying and grooming potential candidates across constituencies.
The new political entity emerges from this summer’s unprecedented protests that led to the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government. The movement, which began as a response to controversial civil service quotas, evolved into a broader demand for democratic reform and economic opportunity.
Key Party Objectives:
- Break away from Bangladesh’s traditional binary political narrative
- Focus on agenda-driven politics addressing unemployment and economic development
- Ensure women’s active participation in leadership roles
- Maintain democratic accountability
- Uphold the spirit of the 1947, 1971, and 2024 movements
Nasiruddin Patwary, convener of the Jatiya Nagorik Committee, emphasized that “the people of Bangladesh want to see a political force led by the youth. There is a scope for this.”
The party’s formation represents a significant shift in Bangladesh’s political landscape, which has been dominated for decades by the rivalry between Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League and Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party. Members joining the new party must sever existing political ties and be willing to acknowledge past political wrongdoings.
The organizers are currently establishing district and institution-level committees while developing their political platform, with a focus on addressing critical national issues through a balanced and inclusive approach.
Source: The Daily Star
