The Students Against Discrimination (SAD) has urged different political parties, student organisations and platforms not to incite divisive politics by pitting the 1971 Liberation War against 2024’s student-led mass uprising.
“We’ve recently observed that various political parties, student organisations, and platforms are attempting to incite divisive politics by pitting 1971 against 2024,” SAD said in a press release on Tuesday.
It also said they also strongly condemns and protests such malicious attempts.
The movement clearly states that ’71 and ’24 are not oppositional to each other, rather they represent different but interconnected chapters in our history.
“In 1947, we gained our own territory; in 1971, we achieved independence; and in 2024, we freed ourselves from prolonged fascism through a mass uprising. The fascist structure born out of the ‘Mujibist’ constitution has been laid to rest.”
The SAD believes that ’47, ’71, and ’24 are part of a continuous struggle for the liberation of this land — all of which are integral to our collective pride.
The movement embraces, honours, and spiritually upholds the contributions of everyone involved in these struggles. Therefore, it firmly opposes the unethical politics of setting ’24 against ’71 and strongly rejects those engaged in such attempts.
It must be remembered that this type of political malpractice aims to revive the binary of Shapla and Shahbagh, thereby making the Awami League politically relevant again.
However, the uprising of students and people in 2024 was a clear expression of mass discontent against the ‘Mujibist’ system and the weak state structure created by the flawed 1972 constitution. Such unethical politics will never be accepted by the students and the masses.
Therefore, the SAD calls for an end to this type of politics and urges all to engage in politics that prioritises the national interest and public welfare of this land.
Otherwise, if anyone continues such politics with the intent of politically rehabilitating the Awami League, the movement, along with the student masses of Bangladesh, will actively lead a resistance against such malpractice.