How the Jatiya Party faced the anti-discrimination student movement
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Photo: Barta24
The distance between the Jatiya Party and the anti-discrimination student movement is gradually increasing. Although it started with opposing statements, both sides have now taken the path of showing strength on the field.
The anti-discrimination student movement announced that it would resist the Jatiya Party by declaring it an ally of the Awami League. In response to that incident, the Jatiya Party declared Hasnat Abdullah and Sarjis Alam, two leaders of the anti-discrimination student movement in Rangpur, as unwanted.
After the Jatiya Party's announcement, Sarjis Alam protested by holding a procession with sticks and brooms when he went to Rangpur. The situation became more complicated from then on.
The Jatiya Party was quite happy to be invited to the meeting of the army chief and the president on August 5, the day the Awami League government fell. Although their two head offices were attacked on the day the Sheikh Hasina government fell, they kept the matter under wraps. Everything was going well, after the name was announced, Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader also congratulated Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the chief adviser to the interim government.
The dispute began with a speech by Md. Nurul Haque (VP Nur), president of the Gano Adhikar Parishad, who is close to the interim government and the anti-discrimination movement. VP Nur said that a weed like the Jatiya Party, a pawnbroker, will not be given space. Jatiya Party is the virus of Bangladesh politics. How did this virus come to Bangabhaban? Jatiya Party must be banned.
The scene began to change after VP Nur's announcement. On August 12, the JP met with BNP-Jamaat and small political parties, but they were not invited. Jatiya Party also did not get an invitation for the second round of meetings. It is said that Jatiya Party made many demands and courted for the meeting.
In the meantime, a murder case was filed against GM Quader and top leaders. In response, Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader said that injustice is being done by false cases against Jatiya Party leaders; we will not accept this injustice. We will protest the false cases on the streets.
At the Jatiya Party Presidium meeting on October 17, GM Quader said, Jatiya Party leaders and activists have given their blood in the anti-discrimination student movement, and if necessary, they will protest against harassment by filing false cases with blood. We will protest the false cases on the streets. We are being treated unfairly by filing false cases against Jatiya Party. It was announced at that meeting that a protest rally would be held on November 2.
When the Jatiya Party was preparing for the protest rally on November 2, a team of eight to ten people came in front of the Jatiya Party office on Kakrail Pioneer Road around 9 pm on October 28 and made threats. They set fire to some banners in front of the Jatiya Party office and left. Later, the Jatiya Party responded by holding a protest march.
Jatiya Party Joint Office Secretary Mahmud Alam told Barta24.com that a group of youths tried to attack during the preparation committee meeting of the Jatiya Party central office on Thursday (October 31) evening. Later, the leaders and activists chased them away.
Soon after that incident, students and the public held a torchlight procession at the Raju Statue of Dhaka University. A fire broke out shortly after the procession left for the party's central office. The party said that some youths came from the Paltan direction and set fire to the ground floor of the office.
The party has not seen any visible programs on the field for several years. The party's activities were limited to speeches and statements in parliament on issues of the general public. On the one hand, the anger of going with the Awami League in the one-sided elections, on the other hand, their silence on the public's suffering has distanced them from the general public day by day. In addition, the leadership crisis has become apparent.
The Jatiya Party, founded by military ruler Hussain Muhammad Ershad, has probably set a record for the most divisions. 6 political parties are roaming the field under the name of Jatiya Party. The party has lost many influential leaders in each round. Again, many leaders have become inactive due to Ershad's unilateral decisions. Most recently, a new Jatiya Party has been formed under the leadership of Ershad's wife, Roushan. Those who used to come in large numbers to hold programs in the capital have now joined Roushan's group.
Since 2008, the Jatiya Party has been in parliament in various ways, with the Awami League. Sometimes it was a partner in the government (2008 and 2014) and even in 2014, it created a rare precedent of being in the government and the opposition at the same time. At that time, amidst fierce criticism within the party, Hussain Muhammad Ershad's Jatiya Party was in the government cabinet and the opposition seat for the entire 5 years. The party's head, Hussain Muhammad Ershad, was the then Prime Minister's special envoy with the rank of a minister. And the opposition leader's seat was held by Senior Co-Chairman Roushan Ershad.
Although most political parties boycotted the 2024 elections, the Jatiya Party participated in the elections under the leadership of GM Quader. The Awami League gave up 26 seats.
Leaders of various political parties believe that the Awami League got some advantage in the 2014, 2018 and 2024 elections because of the Jatiya Party. And the Jatiya Party has forgotten about the general public by sharing power. Although the Jatiya Party has always said that they went to the elections under pressure. Sometimes it is claimed that they stayed with the Awami League in the face of threats. But the general public is not accepting their speeches from the political parties in that way. And out of that anger, the students have announced to resist the Jatiya Party. The Jatiya Party has also announced to respond on the field.
