Desk Report:
I have spoken to three Jamaat leaders in the last few days. This is a political party whose leaders have an extraordinary sense of proportion. They often know where to stop. The party probably teaches them how much to spread their lips and how much teeth to show when they smile. Sometimes their behavior seems artificial, but overall I like it. They usually do not express any great excitement or enthusiasm for any success of the party or politics. The landslide victory in the DUCSU elections was a victory procession, if it were any other organization, the entire campus would have been shaken. But they did not do that. Despite such proportion, I have seen a kind of glow of success on the faces of the Jamaat leaders I met recently. Even if they can control themselves in their speech, some inner joy will be visible on their faces. This time, they could not hide it.
There is no doubt that their attitude is due to their absolute victory in the Dhaka University and Jahangirnagar University student union elections. I think there has been some change not only among them but also in the minds of the common people. Some of those who were not willing to give Jamaat-e-Islami even 30 seats in the national elections a few days ago have already increased that number to 60. In a few days, elections will be held in Rajshahi University. As far as I have heard, the same result will be there too. Then perhaps these strong critics will increase this number a little more to 80 or 100!
Before saying anything about the role that the university student council elections will or can play in national politics or in the national elections, let me say a little about why Shibir got so many votes in DUCSU or JACSU. Since the late eighties, the Islami Chhatra Shibir has been a ‘persecuted’ organization in Dhaka University. Persecuted in the sense that despite being a legal organization, they could not openly engage in politics in Dhaka University. All other student organizations were in agreement on this one point, that they would not allow Shibir to engage in politics on campus. And in the last 16 years, during Hasina’s rule, the situation became even more dire. The Chhatra League had become so reckless that it would not even allow Chhatra Dal to enter the campus, and the Chhatra Shibir was even more untouchable.
So how did an organization that was not visible in DU for more than three decades get elected to the student parliament with such a huge vote in just one year? In response to this question, I will only mention three reasons. One. BNP’s arrogant attitude and its manifestation, the harassment of Awami League people by BNP leaders and activists across the country, and above all, the welfare politics of Chhatra Shibir. Let me explain these issues in a little detail.
Almost everyone now knows that in the DUCSU or JACSU elections, Chhatra League candidates got votes from all Shibirs. But why? Why didn’t Chhatra Dal get it? In fact, those who vote for Chhatra League actually vote through their lineage. It can be seen that this student or girl is actually a member of the Awami family. His father and grandfather were Awami League members. They still are. His elder brother may be a Jubo League member. But due to various persecutions or lawsuits, he is not able to stay in the area now, he is on the run. Some are in jail in political cases. One and a half to two hundred people are being accused in each case. Cases are filed regarding someone being killed or injured in an incident at the upazila level during the July Movement. Sheikh Hasina, Sheikh Rehana, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, Obaidul Quader—these names have been added to the list of names of perhaps another one and a half to two hundred people. All of them are accused in murder or attempted murder cases. Now, stay on the run. Who are the plaintiffs in these thousands of cases? In 95 percent of cases, the plaintiffs are BNP people. Will they vote for the BNP student organization here, whose family members are either in jail or on the run because of BNP? Is there any room for such thinking?
Since the interim government took office, the main demand of BNP has been—quick elections. The idea is that they will come to power as soon as the elections are held. They have not even kept such thinking a secret. They have expressed it in their words and behavior. It cannot be said that their behavior is completely unreasonable. No matter how much one may say, the reality is that the two main parties in our country are BNP and Awami League. The executive order has already banned the political activities of Awami League. The Election Commission has also suspended their registration. As a result, it is said that they have no chance to participate in the next election. In such a reality, BNP is in a position to get a walkover in the voting field. The fact that BNP is sure to come to power has also influenced the decision-making of ordinary voters in the DUCSU elections. Because, in the past, they have seen how the student organization of the government party harasses ordinary students. The infamous mass room, forcibly taking them to party processions—could the Chhatra League have done all this if they were not in the government party? In other words, the torture actually comes from the government party. The students may have thought that Chhatra Dal is going to be the government party after February, so if they are also in DUCSU, maybe that mass room culture may return.
A difference in the field of candidate selection or politics may have influenced the students. It is said that in the past years, Chhatra Dal could not stay on campus. On the contrary, Chhatra Shibir members would stay in important places even in the hall, wearing the mask of Chhatra League. They took advantage of staying in this hall. Shibir members have extended a helping hand to the various needs of the students through their conduct. After the fall of the Hasina government, they have openly given importance to various welfare activities. They have installed water purification machines in the halls. They have helped students through coaching even before their admission to the university. They have also taken various initiatives to solve the transportation problems. Whereas earlier, the experience of ordinary students was completely opposite. They saw that student organizations mean some young men and women with unruly behavior. Their job is to keep others in trouble. So this new reality fascinated them. Such behavior from a student organization seemed new to many, and they liked it. I think this issue also acted as an important regulator in voting this time.
Now the question is – will such results of the university student council elections bring any huge change in the national elections? Will it have any great impact on the next elections? There can be various analyses of this question. I think it will not have any huge impact. We can talk about that another day. But it must be admitted that Jamaat-e-Islami itself will try to use this huge victory to increase its influence in national politics. Some examples of that are already being seen.
