Both Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) and Awami League are embarrassed by the BCL leaders who mourned the death of Jamaat-e-Islami nayeb-e-amir Delawar Hossain Sayedee who was sentenced to prison until death for crimes committed against humanity in 1971.
The ruling party and the central BCL feel that during their 15-year regime, their party and its associate bodies, including Chhatra League, have been infiltrated by opportunists. They even have termed these opportunists as ‘hybrid’.
Several top-level Awami League leaders have addressed these infiltrators as Jamaat-Shibir activists. Now the ruling party is holding these opportunists accountable for mourning the death of Jamaat leader Sayedee.
However, the question remains as to why did the ruling party allow these opportunists the chance to infiltrate into the Awami League and its associate bodies
The political analysts believe due to the ruling party’s relations with Hefazat-e-Islam and the government’s initiatives in favour of Islamist groups, including the recognition of the Qawmi madrasah certificate, a new religion-centric policy has emerged.
It has impacted on the ruling party and its associate organisations and so there could be a connection between this religion-based policy and the BCL leaders’ sympathy for war crime convict Delawar Hossain Sayedee.
Speaking to Prothom Alo, former National University vice-chancellor and political analyst Harun-or-Rashid said, “Awami League has been in power for the last 15 years. The party has been infiltrated by opportunists during the period. The incident of some Chhatra League leaders mourning the death of Sayedee is a visible proof of that. It’s also a warning for Awami League. There could be more infiltrators. They don’t bear the ideology or the politics of the party.”
Although the Chhatra League immediately suspended the leaders and activists who mourned the death of Sayedee, the political analysts raise questions as to how effective this temporary solution will be without grooming the leaders and activists from an ideological point of view.
So far, some 65 BCL leaders and activists have been temporarily suspended or exempted for posting on Facebook sympathising Delwar Hossain Sayedee on his death on 14 August. However, sources in the policymaking level of the BCL say the number of leaders mourning Sayedee’s death is more. So, more BCL leaders and activists are going to be expelled in the coming days.
Of the suspended BCL leaders and activists, 18 are from Jamalpur, 16 from Chattogram, nine from Brahmanbaria, seven from Pabna, six from Narsingdi, three from Satkhira and six are from Gopalganj. Respective district BCL units expelled them on charge of going against the policy and ideology of the organisation and sent recommendations to the central committee to permanently expel them.
Facebook statuses of many of the suspended BCL leaders and activists have been circulating on social media since Wednesday. Most wished Jannat for the late Delaware Hossain Sayeedi. Some of them even called him “Quraner Pakhi (the preacher of Quran)”.
BCL central president Saddam Hossain told Prothom Alo, “It’s clear that there is no place in the Chhatra League for people who are sympathetic towards war criminals. All organisational units of Chhatra League across the country have been asked to immediately suspend such members.”
Speaking regarding the reasons behind BCL leaders mourning the death of Delwar Hossain Sayedee, he said, “Some opportunists have infiltrated into the Chhatra League. These opportunists are tarnishing the image of the organisation through different sorts of mischievous activities.”
Awami League has been in power for the last 15 years. The party has been infiltrated by opportunists during the period. The incident of some Chhatra League leaders mourning the death of Sayedee is a visible proof of thatHarun-or-Rashid, Former National University vice-chancellor and political analyst
Meanwhile, many of the BCL leaders feel that the strict progressive approach of Awami League, Chhatra League and other associated organisations has been relaxed to some extent as compared to the past, which allowed the Islamists to make space at different levels of the party.
However, sources at the policymaking level of the ruling party and its student wing say that although the situation was tackled by immediately suspending those BCL activists, it is being regarded as an organisational weakness.
The politics of Awami League and the BCL have always been centred on the spirit of the liberation war and its ideology. The fact that there are people in BCL who are sympathetic towards Sayedee, has cast a shadow on the ruling party’s politics of ideology and spirit to some extent at least.
Facebook statuses of many of the suspended BCL leaders and activists have been circulating on social media since Wednesday. Most wished Jannat for the late Delaware Hossain Sayeedi. Some of them even called him “Quraner Pakhi (the preacher of Quran)”
According to a source in the BCL, they will hold an extended meeting at the Suhrawardy Udyan on 31 August. Prime minister and Awami League president Sheikh Hasina is likely to be present in the meeting. The BCL will ensure a large crowd from across the country. Right before that, such statements on social media sympathising war crime convict Delawar Hossain Sayedee from responsible leaders of different units, have put the ruling party and its student wing into some embarrassment. Therefore, the prime minister might give some directives regarding infiltration into the BCL in the meeting to be held on 31 August.
AL central organising secretary Ahmad Hossain and SM Kamal both admitted to Prothom Alo that there have been infiltrations at all levels of the party. Therefore, the party will have to consider this issue while choosing leaders at all levels, they said.
War crime is a sensitive issue
According to the sources in the Awami League, many former top BCL leaders had joined the BNP later and became MPs and ministers of the BNP-led government. Changing political stance is nothing new in the politics of Bangladesh. However, such statements of the BCL leaders and activists to mourn the death of an individual, who has been sentenced to life in prison for war crime, are being considered as an offence by the Awami League. This is why the decision to immediately expel them was taken.
Speaking to Prothom Alo on condition of anonymity, a reliable central leader of the AL said there are allegations of taking money for forming new committees at different levels of the BCL and Awami League.
In addition to that there are allegations of nepotism while forming committees. Due to the internal rifts within the party, the leaders are distributing different posts without even any scrutiny to make his or her side stronger.
Although the Awami League, Chhatra League and other associated bodies have said of conducting a cleansing drive within the party many times, it has not been done yet.
AL joint general secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim is one of the four central leaders of the party in charge of looking after BCL. He said, “Individuals who are sympathetic towards war criminal Delwar Hossain Sayedee, are not eligible to be even a member of Chhatra League, let alone a leader. If there are more people like these hiding within the party, then we will have to identify and expel them.”
“Some of them might be influenced by the non-stop propaganda of Jamaat and other communal forces. However, they all are opportunists and hybrids. They have no place in the Chhatra League,” he added.
The religion-based policy
Sources in the Awami League say that for a long time, there has been a slander against the ruling party that it is an anti-Islamist force. Therefore, the party had to compromise a bit over different religious issues in the last 15 years. The party’s intimacy with Hefazat-e-Islam is a big example of that in addition to the construction of model mosques across the country and the recognition of Qawmi education. As a result, a religious influence prevails within the party now. The other parties under the AL-led 14-party alliance have always tried to raise this issue.
Some AL leaders think that apart from the infiltrators, the rising influence of the Islamist or religion-centred policy within the party is also a big reason behind some BCL activists even trying to feature Delwar Hossain Sayedee as “Quraner Paakhi”.
The constitution of the Awami League states, “The fundamental principles of the Bangladesh Awami Leagues shall be Bengali nationalism, democracy, secularism or in other words ensuring freedom of all religions as well as non-communal politics and socialism that is to say - the establishment of an exploitation-free society and social justice.”
And one of the main agendas of the Awami League, as stated in its constitution, is “to build a Secular, democratic society and state-system imbued with the spirit of Liberation War”.
The political analysts say the Awami League, therefore, should seriously review the allegations of deviation from that core ideological stance of the party right now.
*This report appeared on the print and online versions of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Ashish Basu