Mancha 24 warns of mass movement over power crisis, jobs

Mancha 24, a political pressure group, has threatened to launch fierce protests if the government fails to address the worsening energy crisis and cancel a proposal to increase oral examination marks in government job recruitment within one week.

Fahim Farooqui, convener of Mancha 24, issued the warning during a press conference at the Madhur Canteen of Dhaka University on Friday afternoon.

Farooqui argued that reducing the weight of written exams while raising viva marks would open the doors to irregularities and nepotism.

Giving the government a seven-day ultimatum to reverse the decision, he said, "The illegal opportunity being created to reduce the importance of the written exam and increase the marks in the oral exam will put the government in a worse situation than the quota movement. Manch 24 is giving the government a week's time on behalf of students from all universities in Bangladesh. If it does not back down from its decision within this time, we will be forced to organise programmes that will cause the situation to spiral out of control."

He added that students across political lines would take to the streets to oppose the change.

Turning to the broader economic situation, Farooqui criticised the government over ongoing shortages of electricity, gas, fuel oil, and chemical fertilisers.

Saying that public suffering has reached an unbearable level, he directly urged the prime minister to intervene.

He noted that while his organisation supports the long-term stability of the administration, it would not tolerate actions that harm public interest, warning that a "mass movement" could occur if these crises remain unresolved.

Addressing political developments, the convener demanded strict accountability for the violence during the July mass uprising and cautioned against any rehabilitation of Awami League leaders.

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He called for swift justice regarding recent attacks on uprising participants, including an incident involving actress Badhan in Venice, and incited supporters to physically confront Awami League activists.

Additionally, Farooqui expressed condolences over the recent deaths of two army personnel during training exercises. Questioning why soldiers still train with outdated equipment from the 1980s, he urged the government to divert funds from unnecessary projects toward modernising the defense budget and providing proper support to the families of deceased soldiers.