South Asia’s first students’ political party pitches for domestic inclusivity and neutral foreign policy 

By P.K.Balachandran/Daily News

Colombo, March 4-South Asia’s first students’ party has taken birth in Bangladesh. The Jatiya Nagorik Party (aka National Citizens’ Party) was launched on February 28 at a massive rally in Dhaka. This unique phenomenon has a historical as well as an immediate background.

Historically, university students have played a major role in shaping the history of Bangladesh. In 1952, when present-day Bangladesh was “East Pakistan”, Dhaka University students sparked a gigantic struggle to get their mother tongue, Bengali or Bangla, the status of an official language of Pakistan along with Urdu and English.

On February 21, 1952, students and other activists protested in East Pakistan’s capital city of Dhaka. Police opened fire on the protesters killing four students, Abdus Salam, Rafiquddin Ahmed, Abul Barkat, Abdul Jabbar, and Shafiur Rahman. The monument raised for the martyrs subsequently became a place of pilgrimage for Bengali nationalists. February 21 is now observed the world over as “Mother Language Day” to highlight the need to preserve mother tongues in the face of the onslaught of mainstream languages. 

The language movement in East Pakistan succeeded in obtaining its objective on May 7, 1954 when Bengali was accorded the status of an official language.

But the people of East Pakistan soon discovered that they were being discriminated economically and politically by the ethnic groups of West Pakistan where the country’s political and commercial capitals were located. This led to a movement for the autonomy of East Pakistan. When the East Pakistani party ,the Awami League, was prevented from forming the government after it swept the 1970 elections, a movement for total independence began. Army action against protesters and the killing of intellectuals led to armed resistance. Many Bengali students and young men and women joined the Mukti Bahini, or liberation force. With India’s armed support, an independent Bangladesh emerged in December 1971.

After liberation, students left politics to the established political parties and the army. But when Awami League leader, Sheikh Hasina, became a dictatorial ruler, the passive student community felt compelled to launch a struggle on the streets. A series of issues since 2018, led to a mass movement in July-August 2024 which ended with the flight of Hasina from the country and the establishment of an Interim Government with representatives of students in it.

Having been in the forefront of the anti-Hasina groundswell, students wanted to sit in the driver’s seat and not leave leadership to professional politicians as in the past. Hence the decision to form a political party, the Jatika Nagorik Party (JNP) or the National Citizens’ Party (NCP). It was inaugurated with a massive rally in front of parliament house in Dhaka last Friday.

Student Party’s Manifesto

The manifesto and the speeches made at the inaugural rally indicated that the JNP wants to be an inclusive, non-communal, and nationalistic party which is neither pro-India nor pro-Pakistan but pro-Bangladesh. This is to portray itself in contrast to Hasina, who is seen as a handmaiden of India. The JNP/NCP also wants to distance itself from the Jamaat-i-Islami which is unapologetically pro-Pakistan, even seeking alignment with Pakistan, if not a merger.

To emphasise inclusivity, the inaugural rally began with recitations from the holy books of all the three major religions in Bangladesh, namely, the Quran, the Hindu Gita, the Buddhist Tripitaka, and the Christian Bible. The Bangladesh national anthem, Amar Shonar Bangla (Our Golden Bengal) composed by the Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore, was sung, despite calls by the Jamaat-e-Islami to ban it.  

The JNP envisages a Bangladesh radically different from the “First Republic” founded by the Awami League leader and founder of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Therefore, utterance of Mujib’s name, his title Bangabandhu (Friend of Bengal) or even his slogan “Joy Bangla” (Victory to Bengal) is taboo for the JNP. The JNP prefers the Urdu language “Inquilab Zindabad” (Victory to Revolution). In fact, in August 2024,  a Bangladeshi court had ruled that “Joy Bangla” should not be the national slogan.

Neither pro-India nor pro-Pakistan

Nahid Islam, the convener of the JNP declared at the rally that “Bangladesh’s political landscape will not accommodate pro-India or pro-Pakistan influences,” indicating a desire to strike a neutral stance.

There is an apprehension in India that Bangladesh will be anti-India. Pakistan may be disappointed with Nahid’s declaration as it has been hoping to get back into Bangladesh as a force in local politics.  

The JNP’s manifesto pledges to eliminate all possibility of restoring “constitutional autocracy” another term used to Hasina’s rule.  The JNP will strive to cultivate a political culture where “unity prevails over division, justice replaces vengeance, and merit and competence triumph over dynastic politics at all levels of society and the state.”

The manifesto further said, “We aim to build a pluralistic and prosperous society by preserving the nation’s ethnic, social, gender, religious, and cultural values and diversity. Our republic will ensure strong protections against poverty, inequality, and the abuse of power. No segment of Bangladesh’s population will be excluded or criminalised in our second republic. Instead, every citizen will be given equal importance, and their safety and security will be guaranteed.”

Going further, it said, “Economically, we aim to establish a self-sufficient, equitable, and sustainable national economy through the proper integration of agriculture, services, and production sectors. Our economy will be sensitive to life, nature, and the environment.”

“Wealth will not be concentrated in the hands of a select few; instead, the equitable redistribution of resources will be the core principle of our economic policies. We will take firm steps to regulate corporate syndicates and vested interests, safeguarding consumer and public welfare.”

“ We will position Bangladesh as a strong regional power through economic advancement, fostering regional cooperation and international partnerships. We will build a modern and sustainable economy prioritising science and technology and fostering an innovation-driven culture.”

All-Party Approach

JNP’s Chief Organizer (Northern Region) Sarjis Alam urged cross party collaboration. “If we want to organize Bangladesh properly, all political parties must unite. Hasina has destroyed all institutions of this country. All political parties must unite to restore these institutions. We must collectively ensure justice for the murderer Hasina,” he said.

The party’s top ten leaders are, Nahid Islam, Akhter Hossen, Samanta Shermeen, Ariful Islam Adeeb, Tasnim Jara, Nahida Sarwar, Nasiruddin Patwary, Abdul Hannan Masud, Sarjis Alam and Hasnat Abdullah. It is noteworthy that there are three women among the ten.

Outside Backing

The JNP has the full backing of the Interim Government led by Prof.Muhammad Yunus. He stated in his interview to the British paper Financial Times that students had the right to form a party and pursue their goals, because they led the movement against autocracy.

The Jamaat-i-Islami is also a backer of the JNP because it needs an alliance to win seats in parliament. Like the JNP, the Jamaat too is virulently against the Awami League, particularly Sheikh Hasina. Even so, the JNP and the Jamaat will clash on the question of Sharia, women rights etc. While Bangladeshi students stand for women’s equal participation in all spheres of public activity, including sports,  the Jamaat dubs all modernity as haram and has taken to harassing modern women.

The other point of divergence between the JNP and the Jamaat is relations with India. The JNP is realistic enough not to antagonise neighbouring India beyond a point. But the Jamaat is resolutely opposed to India on both religious and political grounds.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party  

The Bangladesh National Party (BNP), the traditional rival of the Awami League, is in a class of its own. It is secular even though it had an alliance with the Jamaat in the past. Like the Jamaat, it has been very anti-Awami League.

But, like the Awami League, the BNP believes in electoral politics. The BNP is not in favour of a ban on the Awami League, unlike the JNP or the Jamaat which want it banned.

The BNP has had a difficult relationship with India because it identified India with the Awami League. But the BNP has had periods of good relations with India in the 1990s when India had fallen out with Hasina. The BNP is now cultivating the Hindu minority in Bangladesh as the latter is leaderless after the exit of its patron, the Awami League.

The BNP wants early elections and disputes the prevailing theory that a new constitution system should be put in place before elections are held. For the BNP, this is putting the cart before the horse, because only an elected parliament can draft an acceptable constitution.

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