Rifat Rashid's post is reproduced in full for BanglaFM readers.
I feel the need to clarify yesterday's incident. Before that, let me inform you that my name has been announced as the joint member secretary in the central convening committee of the new student organization "Democratic Students' Union". I want to make it clear that no confirmation was taken from me before announcing my name in this committee. There were discussions in stages but the discussions were not fruitful. As a result, I have stepped down from this post as my name was included in the committee without permission.
Although the “Democratic Students’ Union” is an independent initiative, the entire organizational set-up of the anti-discrimination student movement, starting from the leadership and even the page of the Baisaa, has been used in the promotion of the new student organization. But those who have dragged Baisaa into the form of an organization for so long have not been evaluated, their participation was not much in the formation of a student organization. Especially, a collective anger was present there, including private universities, seven colleges, and other universities. Everyone’s question was, “If it is an independent initiative, then why is the ‘anti-discrimination student movement’ set-up being used in the formation of a student organization? This question has been asked repeatedly.
The policy was that the leadership of the top 8 posts would be coordinated between those who organized the DU campus to build the student organization and those who organized the anti-discrimination. The political bureau that would be created for policy making would be the organogram of DU and the center. In this case, no one else, including private universities, public universities other than DU, and seven colleges, had any participation. That is why a collective anger was born among everyone. Representatives of Chittagong University and Rajshahi University also complained internally and externally that almost all the leadership of the seven colleges, starting with the executive members of the BAISAA Mainul-Cynthia who came from the seven colleges, had withdrawn themselves from the new student organization. The private students have repeatedly complained that the search committee that was there to appoint students from private universities did not represent the private sector. Seven colleges, other public and private groups all wanted their representatives in one of the top four/six posts. As a result, a conflict has arisen. At the center of the new student organization, Baisaa wanted two leaders in the top four, and four in the top six. They wanted Zahid Ahsan and me in two of the top four posts, and Towhid Siam and Naeem Abedin in the remaining two posts. Bargaining was going on over how many representatives there would be for the seven colleges, private, other public and others, excluding the top post. There was anger among the students when Baisaa did not appoint me and Naeem Abedin. Although a commitment was given to take 20 people from private universities yesterday morning, 10 people were kept in the main list, the rest were not included. This angered the private students even more.
One truth everyone admits is that there are many leaders in the BISAA but the number of organizers is very small. Especially, the responsibility of cashing and carrying the new political generation that was created through the July Uprising fell on our shoulders. Private universities were the most scattered because they did not have any central leadership in this movement, they came out spontaneously. At the same time, movements were organized in the alleys of Dhaka. Here too, a lot of leadership was created, if lost, the uprising would fail. As a result, organizing Dhaka and private universities was the top priority of BISAA. In the past, I was given this responsibility from the position of organizational skills and leadership of the movement and I tried my best to organize private universities. You will see in the top posts of the police station committees of Dhaka metropolis that I have given, the representation of private universities and women is very high. The committee of the combined private university has also been selected through the council based on everyone's opinions.
I wanted to politicize the private urban middle class. I have many political dreams. Among the 5-6 ambitions I have regarding the question of “How do I want Bangladesh to look like”, one of them is to make Dhaka a livable city, to rescue the canals of Dhaka, to take Dhaka through the decentralization process. I was born in Dhaka, I grew up in Dhaka, Dhaka is my favorite city, I have a responsibility towards this city. That is why I wanted to organize Dhaka metropolis.
We were always sure of one more thing. The main condition for a mass uprising is that the highways across the country must be occupied by the urban middle class who naturally distance themselves from politics. The students of private universities represent that urban middle class to a large extent. Therefore, if we can politically cash in on those who have become leaders through the uprising, we will be able to make this urban middle class emerge as an independent political group. This understanding of mass uprising and politics was created as a result of my various intellectual activities, study groups and long-term struggle in the field. Only if the urban middle class of private universities leads Dhaka, can we bring about a radical change in politics. This is another dream of my life.
After the coup, when everyone was doing talk shows, visiting police stations, DC offices, and secretariats, going to various political spheres and embassies, and giving speeches as delegates abroad, I went to private universities and the back alleys of Dhaka. This is part of my political ambition. After the coup, I followed the path of this ambition. This was my choice.
Despite being a familiar face of the uprising, spending a lot of time with this group and positioning them politically has led to a large section of them wanting me to be their representative in the top post of the new student organization. Otherwise, there was a conversation among them that no one has spoken about their interests in the past and will not speak about them now. That's all.
In the new student organization, it was initially said that I would be the member secretary. Then they proposed to remove me from there and make me the main organizer, later they proposed to remove me from there and make me the spokesperson. Finally, they proposed to remove me from there and make me the senior joint member secretary. I accepted every case up to the spokesperson post, considering the collective interest. When my name was proposed as the joint member secretary, I clearly stated that I would not be in this student organization. After stating this, I was not involved in any other meeting, search committee or literature team work in the formation of the organization. I completely removed myself from all the processes of forming this organization. I had given representatives to the search committee from private and metropolitan. It was my responsibility to get them positive, I fulfilled that responsibility and left.
When I am pushed back by new proposals every day, this creates resentment among the groups that first entered politics by holding my hand. They wanted me to hold on to my member secretary post, but I told them that even if I had to step down for the sake of the organization, I would do so. That is what I actually did. I was sick with fever, did not go out, sat at home and watched movies all day. I withdrew myself, thinking about the collective interest. (Many people have told many conspiracy theories behind minusing me, many have come in the form of proven facts. I am not interested in bringing these into the public sphere.)
Baker-Kader's brother tried to convince me till yesterday morning but I made it clear that I will not come as joint convener or joint member secretary. Along with that, I would like to inform you that there is widespread anger among the students of private universities. Especially they have an alliance with Dhaka University spokesperson Hridi Apu (they also expressed their anger by posting about this from the combined private universities page). I am concerned that the students of private universities are angry, other stakeholders of the BISAA are also angry. The private university's leaders can hold press conferences in turn. You think about their demands, sit with them and take decisions.
I informed this in a closed circle yesterday morning. Many groups including private, seven colleges, RU-CU contacted me that they were also quite angry with this process. I told everyone that as a bargaining tool, you can withdraw your proposed name as a democratic process. If you do this, we will sit at the discussion table with you because it was in the form of a policy, we will announce the full committee in public. After this conversation, I fell asleep. I woke up after three. After waking up, I saw that many calls came on the phone. When I called back, I heard that many students of private universities had organized and taken a position in Madhu to ensure their stake. At the same time, many students from the metropolis had organized themselves on their own initiative so that my position would be kept in one of the top four positions of the central committee. Many children from Dhaka came to the inauguration ceremony of their student organization. In all, various stakeholders were present here. Basically, when I went to Madhu in the afternoon, they all found out that I had not come to Madhu and that I was not coming to the student organization. This had already become a big issue in the market and I had been minused. As a result, some people there started chanting slogans in my name. In short, nothing well-organized happened here. Someone from that mob called me and said that the situation was getting heated, there could be a fight. I told him clearly that if the situation got heated, we would come back even if we had to get beaten up, but we should not fight among ourselves.
Everyone in my close circle knows that I don't gamble for a post or position. My first priority is the organization. Positions and titles have never stopped me from being a leader. I was a member of the Student Rights Council, I was also a member of the Democratic Student Power. The anti-discrimination student movement is an organization I created. I announced the quota movement, I was prominent in organizing the entire campus with the Department CR + Hall Representative of Dhaka University, this is widely acknowledged.
Asif Bhai and I were given the responsibility of organizing Dhaka. Starting from seven colleges and Jagannath, I was one of the organizers in many places. The “Quota should not be reinstated” group was also opened by me, I took the responsibility and made this group mainstream on the very first day, where many other groups were formed by various political parties and stakeholders. Later, when the coordinating committee was formed, I was not made the coordinator, I became the co-coordinator. However, in the journey from the quota movement to the mass uprising, I was always one of the first in leadership and strategy making. The stand we took on the night of the 2nd, which everyone says saved the uprising, was also the stand I took first. I was made the co-coordinator at the beginning, but in the end, the list of the entire 158 coordinators was in my hands. There are many such examples in my life. The title has never stopped me from being a leader. Basically, I left the student organization because of a disagreement on the question of dignity.
I myself am a student of Dhaka University. I am what the term TSC means on campus. Before Hasina's fall, the most beautiful moment of my life was the moment I got a chance at DU. The students who announced this yesterday are my brothers. I have been beaten up on campus for these people. I cannot even imagine the thought of gathering a mob and attacking these people for political interests.
I call DU and I call private universities, those who were injured are my brothers. I want a clear investigation into this incident. I call on the leaders of the Democratic Students' Union to take organizational action against those involved. I will also tell those who established it and ordered the attack to bring clear evidence. Immediately after the incident, when there was widespread anger among students against me in DU, I wanted to go to DU and confront the students. I could not reach them by calling Quader-Baker brothers. Later, I called Zahid brother and told him that I would confront the students of DU. He said, the situation is not positive. First, we all discussed it in the organogram forum, then I will come. By the time I finished that conversation, the night was almost over. So yesterday I did not have a chance to explain to the students.
No one is my enemy except the forces supporting fascism, I do not consider any of them as enemies. Even in yesterday's incident, I do not consider anyone as a friend or an enemy. DU students are also my brothers and sisters. My stand is the same for private university students. I want to own everyone. What happened is undesirable, I demand action to be taken after a clear investigation of the incident. At the same time, I want to say one thing clearly, the claim that I was the one who ordered yesterday's attack is completely false.
After yesterday's incident, the students of the private university made a statement that they had gone there to secure their stake. At night, the students of the private university sat in a meeting with the member secretary and chief organizer of the Democratic Students' Union. There too, they explained the entire incident and clarified the matter. They clearly said that the private university had gone to Madhu only to secure their stake. The matter of sloganeering in my name there was a sporadic incident and the instant reaction of some after hearing this was that I did not come to Madhu. I hope I have been able to explain my position clearly.
