Quader asks BCL to rejuvenate itself to dominate campuses

Senior Awami League leader Obaidul Quader has criticised party’s student affiliate, Bangladesh Chhatra League, for failing to establish its supremacy in educational institutions “repelling the anti-liberation student organisations”.

Hinting at Islami Chhatra Shibir’s dominance at several institutions, including Chittagong and Rajshahi universities, he asked BCL to think of repelling them.

Quader, the Road Transport and Bridges Minister, was speaking at a discussion ahead of Martyred Intellectual Day that falls on Dec 14, at Dhaka University on Friday.

He said: “I wish to ask the present Chhatra League leaders: Who are dominating the campuses of Chittagong College, (Hazi Mohammad) Mohsin College and Chittagong University for last 28 years? Of this period, Awami League is in the government for past 11 years.”

He lamented that the followers of anti-liberation forces controlled several institutions where “the words of accomplices of (war-time Pakistani) occupation force are the law”.

“Same situation prevails in Rajshahi University. Chhatra League cannot even take out a procession in these institutions,” he said.

Quader, a former chief of BCL, blamed factional feud in the organisation for the ‘anti-liberation forces’ dominance in the institutions.

“The present (BCL) leadership has to think and find the reasons why we’re weaker than the defeated forces. The spirits of Bangabandhu and Liberation War have to be bolstered, identifying the weaknesses. There is no alternative to it,” he said.

The minister told the BCL leaders: “Chhatra League will hold a strong position when the party (Awami League) is in power and (its activists) will leave the campus in the dark of night when it is out of power. This shouldn’t be the situation.”

“It won’t have happened had the student unions remained active. At least 44 leaders would have been emerged in the last 22 years,” he added.