Three political parties and a student organisation on Friday gave mixed reactions to the formation of a new political party by leaders of the student-led July-August mass uprising that ousted the authoritarian Awami League regime.
The new party, Jatiya Nagorik Party (National Citizens鈥� Party in English), was launched through a public ceremony at Manik Miah Avenue in the capital Dhaka on Friday evening.
The Islami Andolan Bangladesh and the Bhashani Onusari Parishad, a partner of the Ganatantra Mancha, hailed the formation of the new party while the Socialist Party of Bangladesh and the Bangladesh Students鈥� Union, the student wing of the Communist Party of Bangladesh, opposed it saying that it would undermine the neutrality of the interim government headed by Professor Muhammad Yunus.
The Islami Andolan Bangladesh on Friday in a press statement welcomed the launch of the new political party.
IAB secretary general Yunus Ahmad in a press statement said that they believed in multiparty participation in politics of the country.
So they welcomed the political party launched by the youths, Yunus said.
The Bhashani Onusari Parishad also welcomed the formation of the new party.
While speaking at a programme in Bhatara area in Dhaka city on Friday, party convener Sheikh Rafiqul Islam Bablu welcomed the new party, saying that youths had played a prominent role in every mass movement in the country.
He hoped that the new party led by youths would also play a role in introducing democracy and good governance in the country, a press release said.
Leaders of the Socialist Party of Bangladesh at a protest rally at Purana Paltan crossing in Dhaka criticised the formation of a new political party led by former adviser to the interim government Nahid Islam.
They said that the neutrality of the interim government would be hampered by the launch of the party.
They also termed the party as a 鈥榢ing鈥檚 party.鈥�
Socialist Party of Bangladesh general secretary Bazlur Rashid Firoz, central leaders Nikhil Das and Khalequzzam Lipon, among others, spoke at the rally, a press release said.
The Bangladesh Students鈥� Union in a statement said that the interim government had lost neutrality after the formation of the party.
BSU president Rageeb Nayeem and general secretary Rakibul Rony in the joint statement said that the student advisers who formed the political party from the government could no longer be part of the government as student representatives.
鈥楾hey are the representatives of a particular party,鈥� they said, demanding the replacement of the two representatives of students in the government as one had already resigned.
