Bangladesh News

Most central leaders of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) yesterday threatened to resign from their posts if Awami League President Sheikh Hasina does not reconsider her decision of withdrawing herself as the organisational chief.

The BCL central leaders last night sat at a crucial meeting with their President Mahmud Hasan Ripon and General Secretary Mahfuzul Haider Chowdhury Roton to discuss the existing unorganised situation of the student body that led Hasina to quit as its guardian on Saturday.

Meeting sources said 110 of the 201 members of the BCL central committee signed a paper, which they said they would consider as their resignation letter if Hasina were not back.

Ripon and Roton did not sign the paper.

The five-hour long meeting ended without any decision. Later, the BCL central committee members went to Hasina’s residence at Jamuna to inform her about their decision, the sources said, adding that Hasina told the BCL men that she would have a meeting with them this evening.

“Those of us who believe in the ideologies of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Sheikh Hasina will resign from Chhatra League if she [Hasina] does not come back as our organisational chief,” said BCL Vice-President Abu Sayeed.

Hasina quit as the BCL’s organisational chief on Saturday at an AL Presidium meeting and directed law enforcement agencies to take stern action against those involved in criminal activities, extortion and tender manipulation, no matter which organisation they belong to.

The student leaders yesterday blamed Ripon and Roton for failing to effectively lead the party and control frequent unrest at several educational institutions after Awami League assumed power.

Referring to the recent clashes at different universities and educational institutions, many BCL leaders at the meeting criticised Ripon and Roton for not following their recommendations in dealing with the situation.

Meeting sources said they asked the president and general secretary to quit from their posts if they fail to bring back Hasina as their organisational guardian.

The two-year tenure of the Ripon-Roton committee expired on April 4 last year.

The agitating central leaders demanded replacing the expired committees of BCL with fresh ones at all universities within seven days and those at district levels within 10 days.

Earlier, Ripon told reporters on Dhaka University campus that Hasina did not take the decision because of the recent campus violence; rather she quit considering the Representation of the People Order, which asks a student body not to be directly involved with a political party.