Staff Correspondent

Nurul Haque Nur, president of a faction of Gono Odhikar Parishad, on Friday said the country’s future rests on the hands of the youths who freed its people from fascism, and warned big political parties against assuming the role of new “overlords.”

The former DUCSU vice-president did not mention any party by name, but BNP grassroots leaders and activists have been taking control of bus-stands, human-hauler stands, kitchen markets and others to run extortion businesses, since the Awami League extortionists went into hiding on 5 August.

On Friday, Nur made some stops on his way to ancestral district of Patuakhali, and delivered speeches before his party members during the journey breaks.

Nur alleged that a new fascist group is trying to take opportunity in the absence of the Awami League goons, but they will not succeed. The new covetous group is thinking they have a big political party like Awami League and thus can run the show, Nur said warning people to stay alert against such schemes.

The people of the country want a new beginning and a new political system where the young generation can take control. The youth sacrificed their lives for freeing the country after one and a half decade of fascist Awami League rule, and thus in young hands can the country stay safe, the leader of 2018 job quota reform movement noted.

His party would select representatives from the young generation in all administrative levels: union parishads, upazilas, municipalities, city corporations and districts, urging his party’s upcoming leaders to stand against extortion and grabbing by others, while serving the people only, Nur noted.

It is worth noting that on the same day Shakil-uz-Zaman, office secretary of Gono Odhikar Parishad, would field candidates in all the 300 seats in the next general elections.

At the present, the party, divided in two factions over leadership issues, is working to build organisational unity across the country by forming committees in each union and ward, Shakil said during a rally at Bhuiyanpur, Tangail.

He threatened to oust the new extortionists, with support from students and other civilians, in the same way the corrupt Awami League government was toppled.

Messages on ‘good conduct’

On Friday, Nur gave some guidelines to his party members and other people on good conduct. He asked his party members to take lessons from the fall of Awami League (AL) government, warning them against troubling people, which ultimately led to AL’s ouster.

The people are the ultimate source of power, Nur said asking his partymen to support everyone, including farmers, in getting their due respect and services in all places from police stations to hospitals.

He demanded the criminal police members be tried at courts for carrying out massacres on student-led demonstrations, but asked his party members to support the other police personnel, without whom the law and order situation would break down.

He also called for avoiding pressure from political parties to lodge cases, in a bid to address concerns raised over piling of lawsuits against Awami League and its cohorts.

Nur advocated against the politics of vengeance urging all to avoid extra-judicial killings in response to the similar heinous acts committed by the autocratic Awami League regime.

The young leader, however, said the people of the country would not the corrupt and murderous Awami League leaders, asking them to instead ask for Allah’s forgiveness.