Dhaka, Jan 08 (V7N) — Hasnat Abdullah, central convenor of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, said that the government and political parties were responsible for arranging for the proclamation of the July Uprising.
On Wednesday, he spoke to journalists at Town Hall Field in Comilla after a public engagement campaign in support of the July Revolution proclamation.
Before this, he conducted campaigns across key streets of the city, starting from the Police Lines and covering Kandirpar.
Hasnat said: “It was expected that the government would take steps in this regard, but nothing was done. Hence, we have sought to publish this proclamation. However, since the government has taken responsibility for announcing this proclamation through political consensus, we refrained from declaring it on December 31. We prioritized political unity.”
He added: “It is unfortunate that, even after so many days since December 31, the government has not taken any visible steps. Therefore, we want to make it clear that those who continued their struggle against the fascist Awami League, who participated in the mass uprising, and who involved people from all walks of life, must ensure that the proclamation of the July Revolution is announced by January 15.”
Hasnat Abdullah also said: “The proclamation must recognize the martyrs and the injured. It should clearly describe the continuity from '47, '71, and '24. It must also illustrate how we overcame the Awami fascism. The contributions of the political parties involved should be acknowledged, and the people’s aspirations against fascist politics must be reflected in this proclamation.”
“We will travel to every region of Bangladesh and gather the opinions of ordinary people who participated in the movement, ensuring that no fascism rises again in post-24 Bangladesh,” said Hasnat.
He continued: “The government should have given importance to the families of the injured and martyrs after August 5. Yet, we still hear their cries of anguish, which is deeply regrettable.”
He also said: “We demand that the government place more emphasis on the injured and the families of the martyrs. The July Foundation’s injured and martyrs' families have faced bureaucratic complications. Let me state clearly, post-24 Bangladesh must be free of such bureaucratic hurdles.”
Referring to Comilla’s resistance against fascism, Hasnat Abdullah said: “Comilla emerged as a strong force against fascism. It was Comilla that caused sleepless nights for Hasina.”
He further said: “Opposition voices have always resonated from Comilla, and the fight against fascism will continue here. The dream of building the Bangladesh people aspire to after 24 will begin its journey from Comilla.”
“The interim government sometimes makes excuses, citing the influence of syndicates, extortion, and tender manipulations as issues that have shifted. We did not bring you here for excuses or to hear justifications,” added Hasnat.
"We brought you here to take action. The hands that are involved in extortion and tender manipulation must be broken. There is no room for excuses. You must take appropriate measures. Our stance from before August 5 will remain steadfast” he further said.
END/MSS/AJ
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