BNP leader Salahuddin warns against ‘commercialising' spirit of July Uprising

The events of July 2024 were the product of a long struggle, not merely the result of a 36-day movement, he says

BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed has called on political groups not to claim “exclusive ownership” of last year's student-led mass uprising, warning that attempts to “commercialise its spirit” would be met with public rejection.

Speaking at a rally organised by the Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Muktijoddha Dal at Dhaka’s Central Shaheed Minar on Saturday, the BNP Standing Committee member said the events of July 2024 were the product of a long struggle, not merely the result of a 36-day movement.

The uprising, culminating in the fall of the Awami League government on Aug 5, 2024, followed months of protests over government job quota reforms. Many senior party leaders, including former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, left the country in the aftermath, while others went into hiding.

In the months since, several dozen new political parties have emerged, including the National Citizen Party (NCP), launched in February by student leaders who were at the forefront of the movement.

Salahuddin drew parallels with the Awami League’s long-standing claim over the legacy of the 1971 Liberation War. “I request those who speak of the spirit of July–August Uprising to remember that the Awami League nearly wiped itself out by trying to monopolise the spirit of the 1971 Liberation War."

Urging new political actors not to use the uprising as a tool for what he described as “political commerce”, he said: “For those who now seek to politically exploit or trade in the spirit of the 2024 Uprising, I urge them to remember: this motivation, this continuity, this history, this spirit belongs to all the people of Bangladesh who have fought for democracy."

“No one should form a political party and then claim exclusive ownership of the spirit of the July Uprising. Those who engage in political commerce with ideals never meet a good end.”