Hiren Pandit
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the greatest Bengali of a thousand years, the architect of Bangladesh, and the father of the nation, always said, “The history of Chhatra League is the history of Bangladesh”. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman founded the Bangladesh Chhatra League on January 4, 1948, in the assembly hall of Fazlul Haque Hall of Dhaka University with the aim of achieving Bengal and independence. After the war of independence in 1971, East Pakistan Muslim Chhatra League was replaced by Bangladesh Chhatra League. The 74-year history of Bangladesh Chhatra League is the history of realizing the dream, pursuit and struggle for the liberation of the nation.
After the formation of the Bangladesh Chhatra League, they first fought for establishing Bangla as the mother tongue of the people of the country. Bangladesh Chhatra League had a glorious role in the language movement of 1952 in the continuation of the movement. Then Chhatra League played an important role in the United Front elections of 1954. Bangabandhu was the youngest minister in the United Front elections of 1954, in which the Chhatra League was Bangabandhu’s vanguard. The leaders and activists of Chhatra League played a leading role in the education movement of 1962.
The 6 points of 1966 were the charter of the liberation of the Bengali nation. Bangabandhu was inspired by the brave movement of Chhatra League leaders and activists. He played a historic role in the popular uprising in 1969. The then Chhatra League leader Tofail Ahmed gave Sheikh Mujibur Rahman the title of ‘Bangabandhu’ on behalf of the students of Bengal, which accelerated the momentum of the Great War of Independence in 1971. Chhatra League contributed the most in motivating and involving the nation in the freedom struggle.
Bangabandhu also thought of our students, he used to say, “Each and every member of the student and youths should be made an ideal human being.” They will become an ideal force. By this ideal man, he means a person who will have good human qualities and will be followed by others. That is to say, whatever is socially good, noble and benevolent will exist in every member of the student body. To be an ideal person, the qualities that everyone should have been honesty, devotion, hardworking and benevolent attitude, compassion, modesty and courage. Bangabandhu himself was an idealistic man. The liberation of the exploited and oppressed people of Bengal was the main goal and ideal of his life. The goal he has struggled to achieve throughout his life.
He said to the students on August 19, 1973 – ” My dear fathers (sons), learn a little education.” No matter how much you chant slogans, there is no use if you don’t learn properly. The time to study and learn will help the parents. Don’t be shy to catch up with dad because you’re learning how to wear pants and modern dresses. Look at the world. Plant brinjal seedlings, plant some pepper seedlings, plant some gourd seedlings and plant some coconut saplings in each village. Ask your parents for help. Just passing BA-MA is of no use. We have to work for the welfare of the people of the country.”
In 1973, in a speech on Chhatra League’s foundation day, he said – “The people of Bengal, especially the young community, should know our history. A son of Bengal who does not know about the heritage of his past descendants cannot be a true Bengali.”
Chhatra League has played a leading role in the democratic movement to realize Bangabandhu’s dream. Bangladesh Chhatra League’s role in the anti-dictatorship movement is commendable. It has played a leading role in the movement for democratic rights and is still playing a leading role in the struggle to build a war crime-free and democratic Bangladesh.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, all the leaders and activists of Chhatra League have played a brave role in the streets with the aim of transforming Bangladesh into an economically prosperous and developed state. Just as thousands of qualified leaders have been born in the history of Chhatra League, a number of unqualified leaders and activists have also been born. Due to this the organization created by Bangabandhu has been controversial from time to time.
Even after hearing about the behavior of some leaders of Chhatra League and the extremely negative activities of a few deviants of Chhatra League, the cases of such involvement of some students and activists associated with the organization are coming to the fore. All these are unwanted and unintended. This fills our optimism with despair. There are cases of seat trading, extortion and torture of the students etc.. Student politics, especially in higher educational institutions, the activities of BCL deviants are directly disputing positive activists among these.
In the past too, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina took a strict stand to rein in such unrest and announced a zero-tolerance policy against anyone involved in misdeeds. It was thought that through this, the deviants would gain self-realization and the leaders and workers of the organization would free themselves from all negative activities and participate in the implementation of the Prime Minister’s promise to build Bangabandhu’s dream of Sonar Bangla. But regrettably, despite this, in the name of BCL, some miscreants have remained where they were and the controversy seems to be branching out gradually. As a result, while the government has won the praise of many countries and organizations in the world by taking the country forward in many development indicators, at the same time, the image of the party and the government is being tarnished due to the deviants of the Chhatra League. Negative news headlines are constantly in the media.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina through her speech has been moved many times by recalling the history of freedom from our language movement and the glorious memories of the Chhatra League of that time. In her speech, she showed how they gained Bangabandhu’s trust and stood at the forefront of the movement and struggle across the faith and accelerated the freedom movement at his call. Although the Prime Minister’s speech describing many such historical events has touched our emotions at various times, it does not seem to have touched the people to whom these words were addressed.
No one wants the past glorious tradition and achievements of BCL to be ruined because of some miscreants. A clean-up campaign is needed in student politics while upholding the basic rights of students. Efforts are needed for this campaign, and the government should come forward first in this regard. The negative activities of a few deviants cannot be allowed to tarnish the glorious tradition of student politics.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been working tirelessly in the last decade to lead the country towards development and achieve Vision 2041 or Smart Bangladesh after achieving Vision 2021. She has clearly mentioned in her speech on different occasions that criminals have only one identity, they are criminals. They have to be brought under the law and the misdeeds of some self-interested people, who identify the beneficiaries personally, have become necessary. Through this, many good works of the Prime Minister and her government are being suppressed, about which the self-interested people are not worried at all. It is certainly disappointing that no action can be taken against those who are disputing the government by not following the instructions of the Prime Minister properly.
If proper steps are not taken from the national or central level to control the strays. These deviants will become uncontrollable and reckless. Nowadays there is no unity even among themselves. The factions within the organization, and various conflicts from those factions, all are the victims of the ordinary students. What should be the character of the student, and what should be the values of the student society, is that sense disappearing among many students nowadays? Work like extortion, tendering, and intimidation is a minor thing for them. They are insulting, abusing, and brutally beating whomever they want on campus. They are also giving their one-sided statement as a crime. No one has anything to say.
The Prime Minister warned the leaders in a recent meeting of the Chhatra League that behind the bad name of the Chhatra League, people are coming in. In a meeting, she said, because Awami League is in power and Chhatra League is becoming a big organization, many “unwholesome” people are getting a bad name by entering the organization and making “noise”. The ruling Awami League’s brotherly student organization Chhatra League also asked the Chhatra League to be more careful in the reality of the negative news in the media. Because the bad name falls on Chhatra League. Chhatra League should also be careful not to discredit themselves, the party, and the country while organizing. Sheikh Hasina called on the leaders and workers of BCL to carry forward with the ideals of Bangabandhu and said, “If you rise above the will and power and make sacrifices, you can develop yourself as a proper leader, but if you chase after money and wealth like the flow of money, that money will be washed away.” There is no ability to lead, nothing can be given to the country, neither can it be given to the people.
Chhatra League is doing many humanitarian works like cutting farmers’ paddy in times of coronavirus provided various supports. Chhatra League is doing many humanitarian works. Besides, what is most needed, education should be learned. We have to prepare today’s generation or generation after generation to be good citizens. Currently, unprecedented unity has been created between the students and the public on the issue of Smart Bangladesh. Digital Bangladesh has been created. Access to technology should be harnessed to create jobs. This economic transformation also requires a transformation in the education system. For that, Chhatra League wants to work with smart campuses and research-based work in the universities. This is the biggest challenge now. But be careful now about misguided and image destroyers.
However, under the timely leadership of Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina, BCL leaders and activists at all levels are steadfast. Chhatra League leaders and workers will have honesty, devotion, hard work and philanthropic attitude, humanity-sympathy, modesty, patience, tolerance and courage. Bangabandhu himself was an idealistic man and leader. It is everyone’s expectation that the Chhatra League will correct all the mistakes and play a leading role in the streets in the coming days by adopting the ideals of Bangabandhu into their hearts and working under the leadership and guidance of Sheikh Hasina to make Bangladesh as Smart Bangladesh by 2041.
Hiren Pandit is a columnist and researcher