পাতা:বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (পঞ্চদশ খণ্ড).pdf/১৭৬

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বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ পঞ্চদশ খণ্ড
১৫১

 A Student Action Committee was formed with representatives of leading student organization in East Pakistan. It was the formation of this Committee that brought Tofael Ahmed, the Vice President of the Dacca University Central Students Union (DUCSU) into prominence as he became the convener of this Committee.

 The Students Action Committee produced an 11 point charter of demands. Indeed, a breakdown of the 11 point programme would show that under point No. 1 alone more than 15 separate demands relating to separate aspects of education were included, ranging from “Tuition fees must be reduced by 50 per cent,” “polytechnic students must be offered facilities of a condensed course,” to such general demands as “the mother tongue must be used as medium of instruction at all levels of education” and “education must be made compulsory and free up to class VIII.” These were followed by a comprehensive charter of political and economic demands. The substance of the Six-Point programme of the Awami League was fully embodied though with some interesting changes in formulation. It also called for full regional autonomy to be given to former provinces and for formation of a sub Federation in the withdrawal of the Agartala Conspiracy case was also demanded. In foreign affairs there was a demand for quitting CENTO, SEATO and “Pakistan-US Military Pacts” and to formulate a “neutral and independent foreign policy.” In the economic sphere nationalization of banks insurance companies and all majored industries including jute was demanded. For the peasants reduction of tax and land revenue was called for and a demand was included for writing off arrears of land and loans outstanding form peasants. The minimum price of Rupees 40 per mound of jute was demanded for industrial workers fair wages and various welfare benefits were demanded together with repeal of “anti-worker black laws” Flood control measures were also demanded. The 11 point programme of students thus became a comprehensive charter of demands and with that before them, the students launched their movement.

 Such a comprehensive charter of demands was significant on more counts than one. The inclusion of the substance of the six-point programmers meant that these were not only the demands made by one political party but that these had enlisted support form all the major student groups having divergent political affiliation and thus had become the basic political demand of the entire people of East Pakistan. By spelling out the economic demands the students were ensuring that any successful political struggle must also bring about economic salvation of the people which lay in the adoption of socialistic measures. The foreign policy element in the charter also set the goal for the country to make an independent and non aligned course.

 The political leaders, in the meantime, were also holding meeting to charter out courses of action and were maintaining close contact with the students with Sheikh Mujib and the front rank Awami League leaders in jail, it was left to syed Nazrul Islam to represent the party in deliberation with other opposition leaders. Following a successful hartal on January 6, the opposition leaders both the cast and the west wing representing the Awami League. National Awami Party (Requisitionist). KSP.