What are the thoughts of the Awami League after the BCL was expelled from the campus?

Clashes with law and order forces took place at various places

After the violence across the country on Tuesday around the quota reform movement in Bangladesh, the ruling Awami League has created a strong reaction to the expulsion of the Chhatra League from almost all campuses including Dhaka University.

In particular, Awami League has been in power for almost sixteen years and in this situation, it has created ‘surprise’ and ‘anger’ in the party about the expulsion of Chhatra League from the residential halls of Dhaka University, which was somewhat expressed in the words of Obaidul Quader, the general secretary of the party.

In a meeting of the group called to discuss the situation, he said, ‘There has been an attack on our existence, there has been a threat. We have to deal with this situation’.

Many of the party’s leaders hinted at a bigger operation by the law enforcement agencies as ‘necessary’ to bring the situation under control.

BNP has said that they are not associated with the quota movement even though they have expressed ‘moral support’ to the quota movement.

It has been repeatedly said by the agitators that these statements are being made only to ‘question’ the students’ movement and their movement.

Awami League joint general secretary AFM Bahauddin Nashim said that the rooms of BCL leaders were vandalized in the university. It will not be allowed to continue for long,” he told BBC Bengal.

‘Violence’ and discussion in Chhatra League and Awami League

In the beginning, many leaders of Chhatra League were involved in the anti-quota movement and as the quota issue became a ‘popular issue’, there was not much opinion within the Awami League in favor of taking a strong stand against it, said several leaders of the party.

But after the protests of the agitators centered on the Prime Minister’s speech, various discussions started within the party.

However, the leaders of the party thought that the issue would be limited to Dhaka and the final decision of the High Court on the quota issue would resolve the issue.

That is why the government party’s top echelon took the policy of putting some pressure on the agitators by giving the BCL instead of directly stopping them.

The general secretary of the party, Obaidul Quader, said on Monday that the BCL is ready to respond to the insolent behavior that took place on the campus on Sunday night.

On Monday, Chhatra League clashed with agitators in several public universities including Dhaka University and Jahangirnagar. Hundreds of protestors were injured in the attack by the Chhatra League, their alliance Anti-Discrimination Student Movement said.

Later, Chhatra League also complained that their workers were injured.

But that Chhatra League was expelled from most of the universities including Dhaka University on Tuesday night. Because of this, Chhatra League itself is facing anger within Awami League.

Some of the leaders of the party said that ‘Chhatra League can’t do it or they don’t have that ability’ – it didn’t come to anyone’s mind.

A leader, however, said that ‘a campaign against the Chhatra League was going on for two days and a section of the agitators was trying to make them opponents of the quota agitators.

As a result, they were also advised to be cautious. In particular, it was asked to take care not to get involved in direct violence’.

However, a middle level leader of Awami League said, “Chhatra League said not to be tense. But they couldn’t. Especially the Dhaka University Chhatra League had to go and help the Metropolitan Chhatra League”.

However, AFM Bahauddin Nashim says that they do not differentiate between ordinary students and Chhatra League. He claimed “Now the terrorists of all student parties and camps have committed violence”.

And in this situation, the party leaders are indicating that the government is now at the ‘point of no return’ and they feel that there is no chance of going back.

That is why the entire metropolitan Awami League has been instructed to be ready. Obaidul Quader said in the party meeting, “There has been an attack on our existence, there has been a threat. We have to deal with this situation. So you get ready ward by ward”.

A senior leader indicated that the law and order forces would be deployed to quickly bring the situation under control without depending on the BLA and they would also be instructed to be as ‘tough as they need to be’.

Member of the presidium of the party. Md. Abdur Razzak says earlier it was thought that after the decision of the Supreme Court, the decision will be taken through discussion and on the basis of everyone’s opinion.

“Now everything will be resolved. Whatever is needed to create legal pressure will be done,” he told BBC Bangla.

Incidentally, recently after a high court judgment on quota in government jobs, there was a strong reaction among the students and they started a movement under the banner of anti-discrimination student movement demanding reform of quota.

Later on Sunday, the situation started to heat up from the night of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s comment.

In a press conference organized on the occasion of her visit to China, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said on Sunday, “There is nothing the government can do if the quota is not resolved by the court.”

He asked the question, “Why so much anger on the freedom fighters? Grandchildren of freedom fighters will not get jobs, then will Razakar’s grandchildren get it?

Due to that statement, the students of Dhaka University, Jahangirnagar, Shahjalal University of Sylhet and Chittagong University started protesting at midnight. They started shouting slogans due to the Prime Minister’s speech.

Following the violence on Monday, six people were killed in clashes that spread across the country on Tuesday.

On Tuesday night, a group of agitators threw out BCL leaders from various university halls. The rooms of the top leaders of the Chhatra League were extensively vandalized in Dhaka University.