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A key student leader, who was the part of the group that led the protest against Sheikh Hasina, resigned from the interim government in Bangladesh and announced to float new political party.
Muhammad Yunus (Reuters Image)
Declaring that Muhammad Yunus represents the 2024 uprising against the Sheikh Hasina government and not a political party, Nahid Islam, a key student leader of the group that led the revolt last year to oust the former Prime Minister, resigned from the interim government.
She announced to launch a new political party in Bangladesh on February 28, stating that the “ideologies of the existing political parties do not represent all the people of the country”.
The new political party, aiming to represent “new hopes and aspirations”, will start its proceedings at a grand rally at Manik Mia Avenue, south of the parliament building in Dhaka.
“After the July 2024 uprising, new hopes and aspirations have been born in Bangladesh. In view of those hopes and aspirations, the students have taken the initiative to form a new political party”, said Samanta Shermeen, spokesperson of Jatio Nagorik Committee, a platform of the student’s group.
“Dr Yunus does not represent Jamat or Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP); Dr Yunus represents the uprising, and all the advisers represent the uprising. They do not represent any political party”, she said.
Student Leader On Existing Political Parties
Samanta cited last year’s student protest against Hasina, which led to her ouster from the country, and said that the students have “realised” since then that the ideologies of the existing political parties do not accommodate the entire population of the country.
“The existing state structure is absolutely not capable of making Bangladesh a new modern state. We want to build Bangladesh, a modern and important country in South Asia, connecting people across the world and adding new ideas,” the spokesperson said.
She further claimed that the country has been under “state oppression for the last 53 years,” during which the state institutions were destroyed.
“The institutions have been used for party and personal purposes,” Samanta said.
She outlined that the new political party will reflect the rights of the Bangladeshis to “take everyone along”.
“We think the people of Bangladesh have certain rights. On the basis of these rights, our future politics will be observed. We are talking about rights-based politics, we are talking about service politics, we are talking about manifesto politics in order to take everyone along,” she said.
Student Leader On Foreign Aids
Calling for sharing international relations based on “fairness and equality”, she said that the policies of Bangladesh should not be dependent on grants or loans.
“We think that relations with all countries should be on the basis of fairness and equality. It is necessary to ensure that any kind of grant or loan does not interrupt the policy of Bangladesh,” she said.
Recently, US President Donald Trump criticised several USAID projects that were recently stopped after recommendations from the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency.
Referring to one such project, Trump said, “$29 million meant to strengthen the political landscape in Bangladesh was awarded to a firm that nobody has ever heard of.”
Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is also expected to visit Bangladesh in mid-March amid rising political instability in the country.
(With ANI inputs)
- Location :
Dhaka, Bangladesh
