Staff Correspondent:

The new political party of the students and youths who led the July Uprising is set to start its journey next Friday, with Md Nahid Islam as its convener. He has already left his post as adviser to the interim government for this purpose.

Akhtar Hossain, former social services secretary of Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU), will be the member secretary of the new party which is likely to be named the “Jatiya Nagorik Party”. The organisation has already completed all preparations in this regard, said sources.

Sarjis Alam and Hasnat Abdullah are getting the responsibility of the party’s chief organiser and spokesperson, respectively.

Sources at the Jatiya Nagorik Committee said that the new party’s inauguration ceremony will be held on Manik Mia Avenue in the capital on Friday.

Although there was a division among the student leaders regarding the top leadership of the new political party at the beginning, they have finally reached an agreement. Initially, the name of the party was considered to be “Bangladesh Nagorik Party”, but it was later dropped.

As a process of forming a new party, the Jatiya Nagorik Committee was formed after the uprising. Former leaders of various student organisations that played a role in the movement joined the platform. In addition to students who were at the forefront of the movement, some former Shibir and leftist leaders also joined the Nagorik Committee. However, as the party formation process progressed, divisions within the Nagorik Committee increased.

The student leaders were divided into three groups based on their political orientation. One group consisted of student leaders from leftist student politics, the second group was of former Shibir leaders, and the third group was the leaders of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, mainly from the Chhatra Adhikar Parishad or Chhatra Shakti. These three groups are active in appointing their preferred leaders to other top positions outside the two posts that have already been filled.

Although everyone agreed on Nahid Islam as the party’s top leader, the division began over the position of member secretary. However, the organisation finally overcame the division and finalised the top leadership.

In addition to the political party, a new student organisation has also emerged with the students who led the uprising. On the day of its launch, a six-member convening committee for its central and Dhaka University committee was announced. The organisation, called Bangladesh Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangsad (Bangladesh Democratic Students’ Union), has been named the central convener of the organisation, with Abu Baker Majumder, the former coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, as its central convener, and Zahid Ahsan as its member secretary. In addition, Abdul Quader has been appointed as the convener of the Dhaka University branch and Mohir Alam as its member secretary.

Meanwhile, Jatiyo Nagorik Committee Joint Convener Ali Ahsan Zonaed and Joint Member Secretary Rafe Salman Rifat have withdrawn from the new student group that is to be launched on Friday. Both of them were former presidents of the Dhaka University branch of Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir. They made the announcement in their Facebook posts on Tuesday. Both later confirmed this information to the journalists.

Zonaed and Rifat are currently on a visit to China at the invitation of the Communist Party of that country. Their visit to China also raised objections in the Nagorik Committee. The organisation issued a statement on this issue last Monday.

The conflict between Zonaed and the leaders of the Nagorik Committee mainly came to light over the post of member secretary of the new political party. While his followers demanded him for the post, another section wanted Akhtar Hossain, the member secretary of the Nagorik Committee.

Representatives of various political parties, diplomats, families of martyrs of the July Mass Uprising, injured fighters, and expatriates who played an important role in the movement will be present at the new party’s inauguration ceremony. In addition, oppressed people of various classes and professions who created the context of the mass uprising, as well as students who actively participated in the July Uprising, will also participate in the ceremony.

A documentary on the July Uprising will be shown at the programme.

Jatiya Nagorik Committee Spokesperson Samantha Sharmin told the journalists, “We hope the new party will be able to reflect the aspirations of the people.”