Gono Odhikar Parishad to reject ‘July Declaration’

The Gono Odhikar Parishad has announced that it will reject the proposed ‘July Declaration,’ criticizing the process as exclusionary and finalized without meaningful consultation with the participants of the mass uprising.

The statement was made during a press conference held at the party’s office in Al Razi Complex, Purana Paltan in the capital on Sunday.

In a written address, General Secretary Md. Rashed Khan stated that the 2018 quota reform movement had successfully abolished the quota system in first and second-class government jobs. However, the High Court’s June 5, 2024 verdict to reinstate a 30 percent quota reignited nationwide protests led by students demanding the reinstatement of the 2018 recruitment circular.

“At a critical juncture, when the state responded with live ammunition and began killing peaceful protesters, the quota reform movement transformed into a broader struggle for systemic change,” Rashed said.

“Fueled by massive participation from students, workers, and citizens across the country, this resistance evolved into an unprecedented mass uprising.”

He emphasized that the July uprising was not born overnight. “This was not a 36-day movement. It was the culmination of 14 to 15 years of relentless struggle. To reduce this historic uprising to just over a month is to erase the sacrifices of countless people over more than a decade.”

Khan recalled pivotal moments in the long journey of resistance: the 2013 Shapla Chattar massacre, which galvanized madrasa students and religious communities against what he termed “Awami fascism”; the 2015 anti-VAT movement that united private university students against economic injustice; and the 2018 quota reform and safe roads movements that directly challenged the authority of the ruling regime.

“The 2018 safe roads movement, sparked by the tragic deaths of students Rajiv and Dia in a bus collision on Airport Road, spread like wildfire across the nation,” he said. “It was then that the youth realized their collective power. On April 11, 2018, even Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to stand in Parliament and declare: ‘There will be no more quotas!’ That moment planted the seed of courage—that even the most powerful can be held accountable.”

Rashed warned that attempts to frame the July uprising as a short-lived event serve to undermine the broader revolutionary spirit. “July does not belong to any one group or party. It belongs to the people. If the ‘July Declaration’ is crafted to appease certain factions without engaging the actual participants of the revolution, it will become a one-sided, partisan narrative—just like the distorted history of 1971. Such a declaration will betray the true spirit of July.”

The press conference was moderated by Abu Hanif, a member of the Higher Council.

Senior Vice President Faruk Hasan, Senior Joint General Secretary Hasan Al Mamun, and other leaders also spoke here.

Higher Council members Shakil Uzzaman, Shahidul Islam Fahim, Advocate Sarkar Nur Ershad Siddiqui, Joint General Secretary Zilu Khan, Deputy Office Secretary Shah Muhammad Sagar, and Dhaka Divisional Organizing Secretary of Chhatra Odhikar Parishad Akhtaruzzaman Samrat, and among others, were present on the occasion.

The Gono Odhikar Parishad reiterated its demand for an inclusive, transparent, and participatory process in shaping any national declaration related to the July uprising—insisting that the voices of the streets, not just the corridors of power, must be heard.