The Student Against Discrimination and the Jatiya Nagarik Committee announced on Monday that they would launch their political party at Manik Mia Avenue in the capital on February 28.
Jatiya Nagarik Committee chief organiser Sarjis Alam made the announcement at a press conference at its central office at Bangla Motors in the city.Â
‘In the post-uprising era, a strong political party is the demand of the time for a new Bangladesh, as our experience over the past seven months has shown that the realisation of the vision we envisioned for New Bangladesh on August 5 demands a prolonged struggle,’ he said.
Sarjis said that they wanted to take an oath for their new political party in front of the national parliament building, which he described as the symbol of the aspirations of the 18 crore people of Bangladesh.
‘We believe it is our duty to honour the sacrifices of thousands of martyrs and the blood of our brothers and sisters by fighting for a new Bangladesh and securing a better future for the next generations, he said, adding, ‘We are determined to continue this struggle.’
Keeping this struggle in mind, the Students Agents Discrimination and the Jatiya Nagarik Committee are jointly launching a new political party
at Manik Mia Avenue, adjacent to the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, on February 28, Sarjis said.
He said that for generations, instead of being a symbol of people’s hopes and aspirations, the parliament had been misused for making policies to serve personal, group and party interests, turning it into a breeding ground for autocracy.
Sarjis said that in their new political party, the interests of the people would take precedence over individual, group and party interests.
Jatiya Nagarik Committee member secretary Akhtar Hossain told the press conference that in preparation for launching the political party, they conducted a survey and received responses from 2 lakh people.
Most of the respondents expressed a desire for a corruption-free Bangladesh and suggested that the leadership of the party should be based on honesty and ideology, he said.
Akhter said that the people surveyed suggested more than 30 names for the new party and they would finalise one before officially announcing it.
He also said that the party would begin its journey with a convening committee.
According to sources in the Jatiya Nagarik Committee, information adviser Nahid Islam is likely to take charge as the convener of the new political party, while Akhtar Hossain may serve as the member secretary.
The sources also indicated that Nahid might resign from the advisory council of the interim government soon to join the new political party.
