On the occasion of its Golden Jubilee, Bangladesh Awami Jubo League is organizing a “Grand Youth Rally” at Suhrawardy Udyan on 11th November 2022, Friday. The organizers are anticipating it to be the largest youth gathering of the past decade.
Bangladesh Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will be attending the event as the chief guest. This will also be the PM’s first public rally attendance in person since the outbreak of Covid-19. The entire city of Dhaka has been covered with political banners and posters for the occasion. The event is scheduled to start at 2.30 pm.
Bangladesh Jubo League (BJL) Chairman Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash, who will also be chairing the event, gave various details of the event in a press conference hosted in Awami League central office at Bangabandhu Avenue. BJL General Secretary Alhajj Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil was also present at the press conference.
Political Backdrop
Historically, rallies have played an impactful role in our national politics. With the 12th National Parliamentary scheduled for early 2024, the root-level political events are creating buzz around the country.
The biggest opposition party, Bangladesh Nationalist Party, has been successfully hosting rallies in the divisional cities amassing large crowds. The rallies seem to have worked as a tonic for BNP’s root-level activists after they went missing from field politics in the last few years. The sabre-rattling of the BNP’s top leadership to hold the field has heated the real and virtual worlds alike.
The Grand Youth Rally by BJL can be viewed as the counter from the ruling party. Bangladesh Awami League is the ruling party since 2009. BNP’s decision to not participate in consecutive parliamentary elections in 2014 and 2018 turned catastrophic for its field activism. AIt can be said that with no real opposition party on the field Awami League’s field activity turned a bit stale also.
The Grand Youth Rally by BJL is the start of a counter to BNP’s recent rallies while also celebrating the organization’s rich history. The large gathering will be a show of strength and popularity from the ruling party.
Control of the political field
In the press conference, Jubo League Chairman Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash said, “The Suhrawardy Udyan will be turned into a sea of people during the youth grand rally. The countrymen didn’t forget the strike of 92 days imposed by BNP-Jamaat. During the strike, the BNP-Jamaat clique killed innocent people through arson attacks while a total of 560 educational institutions were burnt into ashes. After Nov 11, Jubo League leaders and activists will resist the BNP-Jamaat and their followers on the street if they try to make anarchy.”
In a different rally of Jubo League at Rangpur, he said, “If the opposition activists want to do rallies they should do it now as much as they want. Because after the golden jubilee celebration of Bangladesh Jubo League will take over the streets.”
“I am challenging you, I am waiting for your reply. We will be waiting for you on the streets on 10th December,” Mr Parash continued indicating BNP’s plan of holding a mass rally in Dhaka on the day.
Jubo League General Secretary Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil said, “This rally will be against the petrol-bomb violence. This rally will be against the oppressor of women. This rally will be against those BNP-Jamat who have looted the wealth of this country and laundered it outside our border.”
Other heavyweights of the Jubo League such as the Presidium Members Sheikh Fazle Fahim and Mujibur Rahman Chowdhury Nixon MP, Joint Secretary Barrister Sheikh Fazle Nayeem, and Mayor of Barishal City Corporation Serniabat Sadiq Abdullah have given fierce speeches about the goal of the Grand Youth Rally.
Jubo League and its rich history
Bangladesh Awami Jubo League was founded on 11th November 1972. It was the first youth organization in the country. It was established by its founding chairman Sheikh Fazlul Haque Mani under the guidance of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Jubo League’s initial core members were taken from the Mujib Bahini, which was one of the first fighting forces of the Independence War in 1971.
Jubo League was established as the youth wing of the Bangladesh Awami League. It was founded under the same principles and ideologies as its parent organization. Many national leaders of the country such as Amir Hossain Amu, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Advocate Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Mirza Azam etc. has come out from the organization.
The current Jubo League Chairman Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash is the eldest son of its founding chairman Sheikh Fazlul Haque Mani. He was given the responsibility of chairing the Jubo League at its 7th National Congress held in 2019. General Secretary, Alhajj Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil is a veteran student and youth politics organizer.
