The activists of Gono Odhikar Parishad’s two factions have given their leaders 48 hours to reunite for the betterment of the party, warning that otherwise they would face street demonstrations.

The activists issued the ultimatum at a press conference held at the meeting room of Dhaka University Journalist Association on Saturday.

Former organising secretary of Chhatra Odhikar Parishad Al-Amin Atia read out a statement at the event.

He said that Bangladesh gained its independence on 5 August for the second time through the student-led popular uprising.

“Chhatra Odhikar Parishad was formed during the historic quota reform movement in 2018. Gono Odhikar Parishad was split due to a misunderstanding among party leaders.  As a result, the grassroots activists of the organisation suffered a lot. People are getting confused due to the divergent leadership in most of the districts and cities.”

He demanded immediate steps to bridge the gap between the two factions.

“Within the next 48 hours from now, you have to remove all the barriers, form an interim advisory committee and a strong election commission for handing over the party responsibilities to elected leaders. Otherwise, the grassroots activists will be forced to take to the streets.”

It may be mentioned that Gono Odhikar Parishad was divided over leadership issue. One faction is now led by former DUCSU Vice-President Nurul Huq Nur, and the other is led by Reja Kibria.