A group of young people who broke away from the Awami League formed the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) in October 1972. At that time, the young activists of JSD also brought forward the demand for a new political settlement along with talking about the corruption of the ruling party and mismanagement of the administration. In the early 1980s, JSD’s proposals for state reform created quite a stir.
Now, several decades later, the topics of a new political arrangement and state reform have once again become among the most discussed issues in national politics. Following the mass uprising of 2024, the interim government has established several commissions to carry out reforms in various sectors of the state. Some of the young people from JSD and the Chhatra League, who had raised demands for state reform and a new political arrangement in the 1970s and 1980s, are now taking on significant responsibilities in these reform commissions. Some of them are even serving in important state positions within the current interim government. These individuals include Industrial Adviser Adilur Rahman Khan, Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman, Constitution Reform Commission’s Head Ali Riaz, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser for the Ministry of Home Affairs Khuda Baksh Chowdhury, and member of the Enforced Disappearance Investigation Commission Noor Khan Liton, among others.
Just last week, several of the reform commissions submitted their reports with recommendations to the interim government. Analysts believe that some of the proposals highlighted in these reports reflect the state reform and new political arrangement demands raised by JSD five decades ago.
Mahmudur Rahman Manna, a former influential leader of JSD Chhatra League, was elected as the Vice President of Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) in 1979-80. Reflecting on the steps taken by JSD Chhatra League to shape the political vision of its members, the President of Nagarik Oikya, Manna, told Bonik Barta, “They were affiliated with JSD’s politics. One thing to note is that JSD at the time sought revolution in politics. Not just improving the existing system, but a complete change. After the formation of JSD, everyone was trained in these matters. However, later on, various factors disrupted that process.”
Adilur Rahman, the Adviser for the Ministry of Industry and Housing and Public Works in the interim government, was involved in JSD Chhatra League politics. He ran for elections in the Dhaka College Students’ Union as a member of JSD Chhatra League. Later, while studying at Dhaka University, he continued his involvement in JSD Chhatra League politics. He served as the Organizational Secretary of JSD Chhatra League’s Dhaka University committee in 1983-84.
Dr. Ali Riaz, who heads the Constitution Reform Commission set up by the government, was also involved in JSD Chhatra League politics during his student days. He was elected Literature Secretary in the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union elections in 1979-80 and 1982-84, representing JSD Chhatra League. However, he later distanced himself from JSD’s politics.
When contacted about this, he expressed his inability to speak at the moment due to personal commitments.
After the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government through a mass uprising, the interim government formed several reform commissions. These commissions, including those for the constitution, elections, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), and police, have already submitted their reports.
Under the leadership of Dr. Ali Riaz, the Constitution Reform Commission has proposed significant changes to the governance system. The commission’s report suggests converting the Bangladesh Parliament into a bicameral system instead of the current unicameral structure. The National Assembly would serve as the lower house, and another chamber would function as the upper house or Senate. Both chambers would have a four-year term. The proposal also suggests allowing individuals aged 21 and above to run for parliamentary elections. The existing constitution outlines four basic principles as the core pillars of governance: nationalism, socialism, democracy, and secularism. The commission has recommended retaining only ‘democracy’ and removing the others. It suggests replacing them with four new principles: equality, human dignity, social justice, pluralism, and democracy.
JSD was founded in 1972 with the goal of accelerating class struggle and establishing scientific socialism through social revolution. In 1980, JASOD laid out an 18-point program that included various demands for state reform. Later, the founder of JSD, Serajul Alam Khan, introduced the concept of expanded democracy or participatory democracy, which included proposals for bicameral parliament and several other significant state reforms. Among these were a federal government system, transforming local governance into local government, decentralizing the judiciary, reaching the High Court to the provincial level, bringing lower courts under the Supreme Court, forming sub-regional economic blocs to reform the economic system, and creating a National Security Council.
Regarding JSD’s reforms, Shahid Uddin Mahmud Swapan, the General Secretary of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Rab), told Bonik Barta, “The constitution needed to create a state framework was not made in 1972. Because of this, JSD took several initiatives to democratize the state system. JSD was the first political group to think about state reform after independence. While other political parties focused on power transitions, we worked on the reforms necessary for transforming state power. Through empowering various classes and professions, JSD advocated for democracy for all stakeholders. We call this participatory democracy. This means not just the rule of political parties, but ensuring that societal forces, regardless of party, have a share in politics and power. We believe that we laid the foundation, and today, this agenda has become central in politics. Although some of our ideas have reached the reform commissions conceptually, they haven’t been fully realized. These will be implemented at the state level in the future.”
Current Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman was involved in JSD politics during his student years at Dhaka University from 1989 to 1994. He served as the organizational secretary of the Dhaka University committee in 1993. In 1994, he became the publicity secretary of JSD Chhatra League’s central committee. He distanced himself from JSD politics after that.
Md Asaduzzaman told Bonik Barta, “I haven’t spoken with those who proposed the reforms. Therefore, I have no comments on this matter.”
Khuda Baksh Chowdhury, the special assistant to the Ministry of Home Affairs in the interim government, was active in JSD Chhatra League’s politics between 1972 and 1974 during his university years.
After the print version of Bonik Barta was published, he informed the online version on Saturday (January 18) that he was not involved in JSD's politics.
However, several senior leaders who were active in JSD’s student politics during the 70s and 80s confirmed to Bonik Barta that he was indeed active in JSD’s politics while he was a student at Dhaka University.
Nur Khan Liton, a member of the commission investigating enforced disappearances, was also involved in JSD Chhatra League’s politics during his student life. He told Bonik Barta, “In 1971, a revolutionary force was formed within a specific structure and process. It rose against colonial powers. After independence, this revolutionary force worked closely on several agendas, such as national government and state reforms. But Sheikh Mujibur Rahman ultimately did not prioritize this. The leadership of the Awami League saw it as a threat. JSD was then formed through various activities. JSD has always tried to involve the people to reach a desired goal, aiming for social change through a revolutionary awakening via a mass uprising. Military rule, however, disrupted this effort midway.”
Regarding the reform commission’s report, he added, “In some areas, JSD’s aspirations have been brought forward as recommendations. But the situation is like the saying ‘a timely stitch saves nine.’ That is, when something needs to be done but isn’t, that place becomes weak. It’s not enough to just announce; public opinion must also be present.”
When asked if student politics still influences him, he said, “Given the absence of that mindset, organizational strength, and the conditions of the time, the possibility of reflecting those ideas from back then is very low. Overall, the likelihood of those ideas manifesting is minimal. Our dream might have faded, but we haven’t stopped dreaming. That dream is the desire for social change through a social revolution, something we still long for with all our hearts.”