In Sirajganj, fifty leaders of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement resigned within only 48 hours of the announcement of its convening committee. They announced their resignation at a press conference held at the Sirajganj Press Club this Sunday afternoon. At the event, they accused the newly formed committee of being illegal and one-sided.
Among those who resigned are Senior Joint Member-Secretary Yasir Arafat Ishan, Joint Conveners Asir Intesar Ayon, TM Mushfiq Saad, Rahat Talukdar, Sadman Jahin, organiser Zubair Al Islam Sejan, Senior Co-Spokesperson Sadia Ahmed Sinha and Joint Chief Organiser Anjarul Islam, along with several others.
During the press conference, they alleged that the central committee had secretly announced the new committee without dissolving the previous convening body. They claimed that no discussions were held with local leaders, which goes against the democratic principles and practices of the organisation.
In their resignation letters, they further stated that the newly announced committee included individuals accused of extortion, drug involvement and working for rival political parties. For the sake of organisational principles and values, they expressed their refusal to remain in such a committee.
The student leaders stated, ‘We had expected the committee to be formed through a democratic process. But the announcement was made after midnight. We will go to Dhaka and speak at the central level—how much money was exchanged for approving this committee, we will also discuss that.’
On the other hand, the newly appointed convener, Muntasir Hasan Mehedi, told journalists, ‘Many were not given positions previously because they were close to us, yet they have been given good positions this time as well.’
He added, ‘There are a few NCP leaders in Sirajganj who are responsible for the current state of the organisation. Out of a hundred members, criticism from fifty would be normal, but here only a handful are criticising.’
It should be noted that on 28 November, Central President Rifat Rashid, Chief Coordinator Hasib Al Islam and Organising Secretary Moinul Islam approved the new 208-member convening committee of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement Sirajganj District Branch for a six-month term.
SS