Nahid explains students’ slogan ‘Who are you, who am I, Razakar Razakar’

Two months ago, on the night of 15 July, the slogan “Who are you, who am I, Razakar Razakar” was chanted by students across the country.

Taking to Facebook, Adviser Nahid Islam said it was the most powerful and bold slogan of the July uprising.

“The divisive politics of the Awami League, in the name of the spirit of the Liberation War, went in vain through this slogan that night. The narrative of the Awami League was torn apart that night. It was only a desperate attempt [on their end] to survive for a few more days with weapons and bullets,” he wrote.

Many voices have come together in the movement, he said, adding that not everyone always held the same opinion. 

Slogans such as “there is no room for discrimination in Bangabandhu’s Bengal”, or praises for “Smart Bangladesh” were also chanted, he added.

Referring to the quota reform movement starting in 2018, Nahid said, “In 2018, there was a movement where people held up pictures of Hasina and Mujib. Later, the movement gained momentum with the word ‘Razakar’. A movement has many dimensions and many conflicting events can occur simultaneously. Real history was made by upholding that to the whole.”

He further said, “The issue surrounding the ‘Razakar’ issue was systematically contextualised and attempts were made to brutally suppress the movement by tagging students as ‘Razakars’.”

Mentioning that as a result of this, the protest programmes were attacked the next day, he also said, “And since women students were the main force of the movement, girls were brutally attacked. Everyone knows what happened next…The fascists were overthrown.”

On 14 July, ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina questioned the merit behind the demand to abolish the quota system for government jobs pressed forth by students of various government universities currently participating in their movement. 

“If the grandchildren of freedom fighters don’t get quota benefits, will those then go to grandchildren of Rajakars? That’s my question, the countrymen’s question,” she said during a press conference at Ganabhaban.

Referring to this, Nahid said, “The next morning, I had to face the media to explain ‘Razakar’ slogan. My explanation was something like this –

“The word ‘Razakar’ had no relevance in the movement. The prime minister herself brought up the ‘Razakar’ issue and insulted the students and their families by calling them ‘Razakars’. 

“In response [to Hasina], the students ridiculed the-then prime minister’s statement by calling themselves ‘Razakars’ and expressed their anger…The movement cannot be suppressed. The ‘Razakar’ issue was brought to the fore mainly to suppress the movement. Sheikh Hasina must withdraw this statement,” the adviser wrote.