AL wants to hold dialogue with students, coordinator refuses

Leaders of Awami League and 14-party alliance want to hold a discussion with coordinators of Students Against Discrimination that has been steering the quota reform movement.

The AL has requested 14-party alliance leaders to take part in the discussion.

However, Abu Baker Majumder, a coordinator of the platform told Prothom Alo, "There is no scope to hold any discussion now, the decision will come from the streets."

AL sources said three leaders—presidium member Jahangir Kabir Nanak, joint general secretaries AFM Bahauddin Nasim and Mahbubul Alam Hanif-- have been given the responsibility to hold the discussion.

Party sources said Workers Party of Bangladesh’s president Rashed Khan Menon and Jasad president Hasanul Haq Inu have been requested to join the discussion.

Mahbubul Alam Hanif told Prothom Alo that they did not have any contact yet with the coordinators. They will contact them.

Meanwhile, the Students Against Discrimination is holding protest marches across the country and calling an all out non-cooperation movement from Sunday.

Asked about the possibility of dialogue, Abu Baker Majumder denied any such possibility. Speaking with Prothom Alo around 2:00pm, he said their 9-point movement is going on.

‘We were asked to postpone the movement when we were detained at the Detective Branch (DB) of police. There was even a plan to forcibly take us to a dialogue. We protested the proposal and staged fast-unto-death demanding our release,’ said Abu Baker Majumder.