By Maloy Kumar Dutta
DHAKA, March 17, 2019 (BSS) – Newly elected vice-president of Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) Nurul Haque Nur could not stay firm in his decision as he is frequently changing his stance over the March 11 polls that took place after around three decades.
Now he, along with five panels, is demanding reelection to all posts of DUCSU and hall unions though he did not raise the matter in his address when he along with other elected leaders of DUCSU and hall unions called on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Ganabhaban on Saturday.
Expressing his acceptance of polls results at the Ganabhaban function, he said every tudent of the
Dhaka University would stay with every blissful activity taken by the government.
But, the Ducsu VP-elect along with leaders of his panel, Sadharan Chhatra Odhikar Sangrakkhan Parishad popularity known as Quota Reformists, held a press conference at Madhu’s Canteen on the campus this afternoon with their five-point demands.
Three panels–Swadhikar Satantra Parishad led by its GS aspirant ARM Asifur Rahman, former staff reporter of daily Prothom Alo and incumbent president of Dhaka University Journalists’ Association (Duja) , Sadharan Chhatra Odhikar Sangrakkhan Parishad popularity known as Quota reformists, Chhatra Federation led by its GS contestant and DU unit president Umme Habiba Benozir and Satantra Jote, another independent alliance, led by Auroni Semonti Khan – – – were present at the press conference apart from Pragatishil Chhatra Jote, an alliance of left-leaning students’ bodies.
Earlier, the leftists alliance held a press conference at the Madhu’s Canteen around 12 noon but other four panels were absent at the press conference.
Asked why he is changing his stance frequently, Nurul Haque said: “I could not keep my concentration properly in the Ganabhaban function before a large number of leaders.”
On Saturday’s function at Ganabhaban, Nur, who claimed himself as a former worker and a minor leader of ruling Awami League’s students’ wing Bangladesh Chhatra League, and expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for extending cooperation to the DU authorities in holding the long-overdue Ducsu polls after 28 years.
On March 11 during the polling of Ducsu and hall unions, Nur’s panel Sadharan Chhatra Odhikar Sangrakkhan Parishad boycotted the polls and demanded reelection of the polls raising allegations of the irregularities and rigging.
But, Nur was elected vice-president and one of his panel-backed Akhter Hossain won in social service secretary post in the polls results announced in the wee hours of the polling day.
On the next day, the Ducsu VP-elect changed his stance saying he wanted reelection to all posts of the elections expecting VP and social services secretary post and he would raise his voice in the Ducsu for reelection to other posts.
Surprisingly, a few hours later, after holding discussion with other protesting students’ wing including Pragatishil Chhatra Jote led by Bangladesh Chhatra Union VP aspirant Liton Nandi, Nur demanded reelection to all posts.
In the afternoon on March 12, BCL president Rezwanul Haque Chowdhury Shovon congratulated him formally at Teacher-Student Centre (TSC) auditorium on the campus and the Ducsu VP-elect expressed solidarity with BCL to work together to realise rights of the common students.
Hours later he commented that though BCL greeted him, the ruling party’s students’ wing had hatred for him in mind.
On that day, several students of Rokeya Hall, who were defeated in the hall union polls and have affiliation with leftist students’ wing, started hunger strike in front of the female dormitory on the campus.
On March 13, Nur went to met the female protesters and said he came to know about the common students’ opinion whether Nur should go to Ducsu or not.
On March 14, he said if Prime Minister invited him he must go to Ganabhaban.
On March 15, he accompanied the university authorities and other elected leaders of Ducsu when they went to Raju memorial sculpture for requesting the protesters, who were on a hunger strike, to withdraw their agitation.
On March 16, he along with other elected leaders of Ducsu and hall unions called on the premier. In the function, he claimed himself as a former BCL leader and was involved in the student organization’s politics since his high-school life having family background of Awami League affiliation.
“We, the elected leaders of DUCSU, will extend our cooperation to take the ongoing development activities of the government ahead,” he said while talking in front of the Prime Minister.
Today, Nur claimed he lost his concentration in the function so that he could not raise the issue of irregularity in the polls before the prime minister.
Earlier, Pragatishil Chhatra Jote, an alliance of left leaning students’ bodies, held a press conference at the Madhu’s Canteen on the campus around 12 noon but other four panels, who were under a single banner in their demands for reelection of the Ducsu and hall union polls, were absent.
Leaders of other panels, who staged demonstration and put programmes together since the polling day, were seen roaming around the Madhu’s canteen but they did not join the press conference.
“We have difference in opinion in some issues. That is why we Pragatishil Chhatra Jote is holding the press conference singly to press home our demands. Other panels will express their opinions after holding discussions among themselves,” Liton Nandi, general secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra Union, told the press conference.
Liton, who became popular for his ‘protest’ against harassment against women in Pohela Boishakh festival in 2015, failed to capitalize on his popularity as he secured only 1,216 votes out of total cast 25,031 votes in vice-president posts.
On the other hand, VP-elect Nurul Haque got 11,062 votes while his nearest contestant of BCL Rezwanul Haque Chowdhury Shovon secured 9,129 votes and independent candidate Arani Semanti Khan got 2,676 votes.
Other two candidates – – general secretary and assistant general secretary – – of the leftist alliance Faisal Mahmud Suman and Sadekul Islam secured only 247 and 284 votes respectively. On the other hand GS-elect BCL contestant Golam Rabbani bagged 10,484 votes and his nearest contestant Quota reformists’ leader Rashed Khan bagged 6,063 votes and ex-journalist Asifur Rahman secured 4,628 votes. In AGS posts, Md Saddam Hussain bagged highest 15,301 votes while nearest contestant Quota reformists leader Md Faruk Hossain bagged 5,896 votes.
Under the circumstances, it seemed the leftists students alliance, whose predecessors were highest in numbers to represent the students in DUCSU and hall unions, received their one of the most humiliating and massive defeat this time in the history of the Ducsu polls, according to former leaders of left-leaning students’ bodies.
However, the left alliance today placed their five-point demands including cancellation of the polls’ results and boycott of examinations and classes from tomorrow.
Leaders of the alliance said they would bring out a rally from Raju sculpture and march towards the DU vice-chancellor’s office to press home their demands.
Asifur Rahman, who bagged third highest number of votes in the Ducsu polls as GS candidate, said he has support with the leftist alliance but he was not present in the press conference.
Apart from BCL, all the panels have been demanding reelection of the Ducsu and hall union polls raising allegations of irregularities and vote rigging since the polling day.