We’ll launch independent student body
Some leaders and activists of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement are set to launch a new student organisation soon with the slogan "Student First, Bangladesh First".
The announcement was made by Abdul Kader and Md Abu Baker Mojumder, former coordinators of the student platform, at a press conference held at the Madhur Canteen on the Dhaka University campus.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Kader and Baker emphasised that the organisation would be formed based on the spirit of the July Uprising and promised to uphold its principles. The organisation will never engage in partisan politics or follow a parent political party's agenda.
The need for a standalone student organisation came as the student platform would not allow them to carry out all necessary political activities, Kader said.
Many essential tasks could not be accomplished under that platform, so they felt a responsibility to form a new student organisation.
The student platform included students from various political backgrounds, including Chhatra Dal, Shibir, leftist groups and Islamist groups. However, after the uprising, everyone returned to their original political positions.
"Those who support the ideals of July'24 and wish to work for the greater good of the country are welcome to join the new organisation," Kader said.
The organisational structure and official launch date will be determined after discussions with students, Baker said.
The leadership structure will be entirely democratic and bottom-up, and the organisation will be funded through membership fees from its members.
The new organisation will operate independently according to its own programmes and will not engage in partisan politics.
A public opinion survey and membership recruitment drive would be conducted nationwide as part of the preparations for forming the new part.
This campaign will take place both online and offline in key locations at Dhaka University, Jahangirnagar University, Jagannath University, Rajshahi University, Chittagong University, and all other public and private universities, national universities, colleges, schools, and madrasas across the country.
The leaders of the new organisation proposed seven fundamental principles: establishing moderate student politics that move beyond ideological and cultural binary conflicts; creating an inclusive student movement that does not discriminate based on nationality, religion or race; and building the future of Bangladesh through a new form of politics shaped by the July uprising.
The other principles are: addressing the lack of female representation in mainstream politics; creating a political environment supportive of women and ensuring equal opportunities for all; recognising Bangladesh's history of struggle and independence, upholding the legacy of the movements of 1947, 1952, 1962, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1990 and 2024 as foundational to their student politics; restoring student unions in educational institutions to counteract the systematic political disempowerment of students and ensuring democratic representation in student governance; and strengthening student-citizen solidarity to safeguard the rights of students and citizens alike.
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