If leftist leaders do not unite, portrayal of 'Razakar' posters will intensify: Serajul Islam
“The most urgent task at present is to build a social revolution. Those who engage in politics based on religion are also bourgeois and believe in private ownership. That is why those of us who want to change society must unite and form a joint front,” he says
Leftist leaders in Bangladesh must unite to form a joint front and bring about a social revolution; otherwise, the incident of displaying "Razakar" posters at TSC will intensify and spread across the country, Dhaka University professor Serajul Islam Choudhury warned today (9 August).
"The most urgent task at present is to build a social revolution. Those who engage in politics based on religion are also bourgeois and believe in private ownership. That is why those of us who want to change society must unite and form a joint front," he said while speaking at a discussion at the Dhaka Reporters Unity auditorium in the capital's Segunbagicha.
The discussion titled "Expectations and Achievements of the July Mass Uprising" was organised by the Anti-Fascist Left Alliance.
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Marking the anniversary of the July uprising, Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, displayed photos of convicted war criminals at Dhaka University's TSC on 5 August, sparking outrage among students.
The veteran scholar said, "Bangladesh has now become a colony. Once we were under British and Pakistani rule; today, in independent sovereign Bangladesh, colonial rulers — the bourgeois class — are in power.
"Capitalism is on the rise worldwide and is spreading rapidly in Bangladesh."
He further claimed, "It was once thought that the fall of the previous government meant the end of fascism, but now capitalist fascism has taken an extreme form. As a result, right-wing forces are becoming stronger, and US imperialist capitalism's dominance is growing."
Speaking at the event, Bangladesh Socialist Party (BASAD) General Secretary Bazlur Rashid Firoz said, "Yesterday, a mob was created to ban politics in Dhaka University halls. Islami Chhatra Shibir, Razakar-Al-Badr, and student groups of the NCP — who do underground politics — instigated the mob to force the university administration to ban others' political activities for their own benefit."
The discussion was presided over by Anti-Fascist Left Alliance Coordinator Nasir Uddin Ahmed Nasu.
