With just a day remaining before the launch of the new political party by the 2024 uprising activists, former Islami Chhatra Shibir leaders in the Jatiya Nagorik Committee have withdrawn from the initiative to form the party amid discord over leadership positions.
Ali Ahsan Zonaed and Rafe Salman Rifat, former presidents of Shibir’s Dhaka University unit and leaders of the Nagorik Committee, announced their decision not to join the party on Facebook yesterday.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star’s Google News channel. “I will not be part of the new youth-led political party to be launched on February 28. I had already informed party leaders about my decision a week ago,” wrote Zonaed, a joint convener of the Nagorik Committee.
He said he had chosen to remain silent for the sake of broader unity and to keep the nation’s focus on the new party. “Since speculations continued, I want to make my stance clear,” he added.
Zonaed did not cite any reason behind the decision. However, in a previous Facebook post, he criticised the way the leaders of the new party were being picked, saying it was “neither democratic nor inclusive”.
Rafe, a joint member secretary of the Nagorik Committee, shared Zonaed’s post and wrote, “I will also not be part of the political party… However, my political journey will not stop here.”
Zonaed and Rafe made the announcement during their Beijing visit at the invitation of the Communist Party of China amid confusion over their inclusion in the 22-member delegation of Bangladeshi political parties.
The Nagorik Committee in a statement claimed it was unaware of the visit and had received no formal invitation. It said if any individual claims to represent the Nagorik Committee without approval, their actions are not linked to the platform.
In another statement last night, Samanta Shermeen, spokesperson for the Nagorik Committee, announced the abolishment of the organogram of the organisation, the executive committee, cells, and search committee ahead of the launch the new party.
The membership of central committee members joining the upcoming political party will be cancelled when they are included in the party tomorrow. The others will remain on the committee.
The convener, member secretary, spokesperson, and chief organiser will perform their duties informally for the next 15 days from February 28. On their initiative, a formal forum of three members of the Nagorik Committee will determine the next organogram.
“After the formation of the party, the Jatiya Nagorik Committee will remain as a civil-political platform. It will not take any initiative to form any other party.
“In addition, the Jatiya Nagorik Committee will always work resolutely and actively in the future for the country and the interests of the people,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, two other former Shibir leaders in the Nagorik Committee also said they would not join the new political party. They are Arefin Mohammad Hizbullah, former co-spokesperson of the Nagorik Committee, and Nayeem Ahmad, an organiser of its central committee.
Arefin alleged that former Shibir leaders are being excluded from the top positions of the new party solely due to their past association with Shibir, the pro-Jamaat-e-Islami student body.
Two leaders of the office cell of the Nagorik Committee confirmed that Arefin submitted his resignation to the convener. However, it was not accepted, they said.
The Nagorik Committee group comprising former Shibir activists demanded Zonaed be given the new party’s member secretary post. Two other groups wanted Nagorik Committee Convener Nasiruddin Patwary or Member Secretary Akhter Hossen to hold the second-in-command position in the party.
To smooth over the discord, which even caused the deferral of the new party’s launch by two days, the leaders decided to create a senior joint convener post for Zonaed in the new party and another important position for Rafe, said two leaders of the Nagorik Committee.
However, Akhter is all but confirmed as the member secretary of the new party. Two leaders of the Nagorik Committee told this newspaper yesterday that they were contemplating creating a chief coordinator post for Nasiruddin in the new party.
Additionally, Sarjis Alam, chief organiser of the Nagorik Committee, and Hasnat Abdullah, convener of the Students Against Discrimination, are set to take on the roles of chief organiser and spokesperson of the new party.
The new party is all set to be launched at the capital’s Manik Mia Avenue at 3:00pm tomorrow.
Yesterday, the Nagorik Committee sent a letter to Dhaka Metropolitan Police, informing them of the event.
Sources in the two platforms said they would invite all political parties involved in the 2024 uprising, including the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami.
No one from the government will be present. Nahid Islam, a key coordinator of the student movement, resigned from his government adviser post on Tuesday as he is expected to hold the new party’s convener position.
Initially, the committee may consist of 150 members, which could later be expanded to 300.
The name of the party has been kept secret. However, the leaders said the name might include the word “Nagorik” (citizen).
There are also proposals to include the words “Janata” (People) or “Biplobi” (Revolutionary).
It may take up to two years to hold the party’s first council and the convening committee will lead the party into the next parliamentary elections expected to be held in December.