We will move towards politics according to the situation

Discussions have been going on in various circles for a few days whether a new political party is being formed on the initiative of the coordinators of the anti-discrimination student movement. However, coordinators at the forefront of the students' platform say they have not yet decided on forming a political party. The decision will be made 'according to the situation'. They are currently working for the 'abolition of the fascist system' and a 'new political settlement'.

Akram Hussain, a member of the Liaison Committee of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, said that their interest in forming a political party is very clear. He said, 'Our main goal now is to maintain the unity of the state or the state. Reconstruction of destroyed institutions. After that, God willing, we will definitely do politics, we will move towards politics.'

Akram Hussain said that only time will tell about the formation of political parties. The decision will be taken according to the situation.

The anti-discrimination student movement started on July 1 to demand reform of quota in government jobs. Within a month, they brought down the Sheikh Hasina government that had been in power for more than 15 years. The Advisory Council of the Interim Government also has two coordinators.

Nahid Islam is one of the two coordinators in the advisory council. He was asked whether they have any plans to form a political party or not. He said, 'We want to retain the national consensus and spirit that has been created through the coup. Discussions will be held with the people regarding the formation of political parties. Based on that, the situation will tell whether we will go towards forming a political party or not. But at the moment there is no such plan.'

Nahid Islam said, 'The injured in the movement have not yet recovered, we could not give proper state honors to the families of the martyrs. These are our primary goals. Later there is the issue of country formation and state reform.' However, he said, they are working to create a consensus for a new political settlement or a new Bangladesh.

The talk of forming a new political party came to the fore last Friday after a report by the international news agency Reuters. The report quoted Mahfuz Alam, coordinator of the anti-discrimination student movement's liaison committee, as saying that the formation of their new political party is under discussion. A decision in this regard may come within a month.

However, in a statement that evening after the publication of the report, Mahfuz Alam said that his statement was misquoted by Reuters. He said that they are not thinking about political organization now. They are working for the abolition of the fascist system and a new political settlement. They will also work on the outline of the future Bangladesh by talking to various stakeholders of the state and society. This work will take at least one month. They want reforms of the system, not parties or individuals.

However, Akram Hussain pointed out that there is a need for political parties. He said, 'new political settlement and unity of the state is our goal. We are trying so that the people can enjoy the second freedom and everyone can breathe freely. We will also try so that we can have this taste of freedom for a long time.'

There is also discussion in the political arena about what the anti-discrimination student movement actually means by the new political settlement. When asked about this, Akram Hussain said that political settlement means creating equal opportunities for all. Awami League has destroyed all state institutions in such a way that if elections are held now without a new political arrangement, the people will not get equal opportunities anywhere. It will be seen that the administration-police will take a side, everything will go on that side. We will wait for the reforms of the concerned institutions to create equal opportunities for all.