According to the organisers of the group, the party aims to “fulfil the aspiration of new Bangladesh” and will start its journey with a grand rally at Manik Mia Avenue, south of the parliament building in Dhaka.
Samanta Shermeen, spokesperson of the Jatio Nagorik Committee, a platform of the student’s group, said the students have taken the initiative to form the party following the 2024 uprising.Speaking with ANI, she said, “After the July 2024 uprising, new hopes and aspirations have been born in Bangladesh. Because of those hopes and aspirations, the students have taken the initiative to form a new political party.”
She said the group realised the existing political parties weren’t capable enough. “The existing state structure is absolutely not capable of making Bangladesh a new modern state. We want to build Bangladesh, a modern and important country in South Asia, connecting people across the world and adding new ideas,” Samanta added.
She stressed the country had been under state suppression for the past 53 years and the institutions have been destroyed. “The institutions have been used for party and personal purposes.”Samanta said the new political party will focus on Bangladesh’s rights to ‘take everyone along’. “We think the people of Bangladesh have certain rights. Based on 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 to take everyone along,” she added.
“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,” she said.
She mentioned that Bangladesh’s ties with all nations should be based on “fairness and equality” and the policies should not be dependent on grants or loans. “We think that relations with all countries should be based on fairness and equality. It is necessary to ensure that any kind of grant or loan does not interrupt the policy of Bangladesh,” she added.
Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is expected to visit Bangladesh in mid-March.
A student-led revolution deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August last year, following weeks of protests and violence.
As per the UN fact-finding assessment report, about 1,400 people may have been killed during the protests.
Hasina escaped to India and an interim government led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus was established in Bangladesh.
