Bangladesh student group that led uprising to launch new political party

The student group in Bangladesh that led the uprising to oust former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August last year, will launch a new political party on Friday to “fulfill the aspiration of new Bangladesh,” organizers of the group have said.

Nahid Islam, one of the key leaders of the group, resigned from Muhammad Yunus’s interim government to lead the new political party, that will start its journey from a “grand rally” at Manik Mia Avenue, south of the parliament building in the capital Dhaka, they said.

Samanta Shermeen, Spokesperson of Jatio Nagorik Committee, a platform of the student group said, “After the July 2024 uprising, new hopes and aspirations that have been born in Bangladesh, In view of those hopes and aspirations, the students have taken the initiative to form a new political party.”

Speaking to ANI, Shermeen said that they have realised that the ideologies of the existing political parties do not represent all the people of Bangladesh. She said that they want to build Bangladesh as a “modern and important country” in South Asia.

“Since the entire national unification during the uprising, we have realized that the ideologies of the existing political parties do not represent all the people of the country. The existing state structure is absolutely not capable of making Bangladesh a new modern state. We want to build Bangladesh a modern one and important country in South Asia, connecting the people across the world and adding the new ideas”, Shermeen told ANI.

Samanta Shermeen said that Bangladesh has been under state suppression for the past 53 years and state institutions have been destroyed.

She said, “Bangladesh has been under state oppression for the last 53 years. State institutions have been destroyed. The institutions have been used for party and personal purposes.”

She further said, “We think the people of Bangladesh have certain rights. On the basis of these rights, our future politics will be observed. We are talking about rights-based politics, we are talking about service politics, we are talking about manifesto politics in order to take everyone along.”

In August 2024, a student-led movement ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after weeks of protest and violence. According to a UN fact-finding assessment report, as many as 1,400 people could have been killed during the protests. Hasina, 76, fled to India, and an interim government led by Nobel Laureate Muhammd Yunus was subsequently formed.

Shermeen said, “Dr. Yunus does not represent Jamat or BNP, Dr. Yunus represents the uprising and all the advisers represent the uprising. They do not represent any political party.”

US President Donald Trump targeted a series of USAID projects that were recently cancelled based on recommendations of Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk.

Trump said, “USD 29 million to strengthen the political landscape in Bangladesh, went to a firm that nobody ever heard of.”

Shermeen stressed that Bangladesh’s ties with all nations should be based on fairness and equality. She said, “We think that relations with all countries should be on the basis of fairness and equality. It is necessary to ensure that any kind of grant or loan does not interrupt the policy of Bangladesh.”

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is likely to visit Bangladesh in mid-March amid political tensions in the South Asian country. The visit is considered very significant amid the political and security tensions in Bangladesh.

Earlier on Tuesday, Bangladesh Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman said that Bangladesh’s sovereignty will be in jeopardy if people do not set aside their differences and stop slinging mud at each other.