AWAMI League General Secretary and Communication Minister Obaidul Quader is opposed to formation of party’s students wing Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) committees in schools. He made his position clear after the move was strongly opposed by civil society leaders and people from ordinary walks of life. BCL has become a symbol of terror, theft and all sorts of vandalism since 2009 and even Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had once threatened to resign from as its organizational chief. They are blurring the image of the student wing and the party altogether and their latest move to set up committee at schools jittered the nation all the more. It means to destroy peace at schools and degenerate young students from their studies in daily life.
Mr Obaidul Quader has rightly said schoolchildren are already burdened with textbooks and studies and it does not augur well to put the burden of acrimonious politics on their shoulders. BCL leaders in November this year said formation of such committees is important to spread the ideals of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman among the students. It is also important to strengthen the foundation of the student organization further to create leadership from local to national level. The move triggered sharp criticism and educationists expressed concerns it would adversely affect the tender minds of children and lead to violence on school campuses as seen in public colleges and universities. Their fear soon came true. On November 29, a Chhatra League leader of a newly formed committee at a Pirojpur school beat up a teacher.
The BCL men started drawing added attention for their unruly behaviour as soon as the AL returned to power in January 2009. Even at one stage the PM office ordered the Home Ministry to take action against BCL leaders engaging in tender snatching and such other violence. Needless to say many ruling party leaders are also at work to give shelter to such errant party cadres to fulfil their own interest. Meanwhile, at least 125 party men were killed and as many injured in intra-party clashes in colleges and universities in the past eight years. The victims include 71 BCL leaders and activists, of whom 60 were killed in internal feuds and 11 in clashes with rival organizations. The rest were general people, including children. According to rights organization Ain-o-Salish Kendra, two people were killed and 156 injured in 20 incidents of BCL infighting from January to September this year.
We express our thanks and appreciation to AL General Secretary for realizing the pulse of nation on such crucial issue. No one wants to see teenagers are becoming involved in party politics at schools only to become victims of clashes and get harmed. Party politics create rivals not good citizens. We will lend all support to the party General Secretary; who himself was the leader of the student wing to stop the spread of such politics at school level.
