NEW JCD COMMITTEE ANYTIME; OUTGOING PRESIDENT, SECRETARY BID FAREWELL

A new central committee of the Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), the student wing of the ruling BNP, is expected to be announced anytime this week, with the process reportedly at its final stage. Insiders said the new committee could be announced at any time, while BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi also said at a press briefing on Friday that the new committee might be announced soon.

Rakibul Islam Rakib and Nasir Uddin Nasir took over as president and general secretary of Chhatra Dal on March 1, 2024, after the previous committee had been in place for nearly two and a half years.

On Thursday night, Rakibul, Nasir and five other top JCD leaders met BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman at his political office in Gulshan.

Following the meeting, outgoing President Rakibul Islam Rakib and General Secretary Nasir Uddin Nasir posted separate farewell messages on Facebook on Friday, apparently signalling the end of their tenure and wishing the new committee well.

In his post, Rakibul described his role in the July uprising as the biggest achievement of the current central committee. He said the committee had played a “valiant and effective role” against the “fascist rule” in coordination with the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.

He said JCD leaders had faced hundreds of mob incidents at educational institutions across the country since August 5, 2024, while continuing to lead their activists amid persistent cyberbullying.

Rakibul said the “best part of his life” was about to end in a “significantly dignified and cordial atmosphere”, for which he was grateful to Almighty Allah “a trillion times”.

Nasir also announced his departure from the organisation’s leadership, saying he was leaving his position but not the student wing.

He said Friday marked his final day as general secretary, ending what he described as a “long, difficult, eventful and proud chapter”.

Recalling his tenure, Nasir said he assumed the position on 1 March 2024, amid a challenging political environment. He described the July uprising as the most difficult period, when keeping activists on the streets, encouraging them and involving all levels of the organisation in the movement became major challenges.