BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed has said that bringing student representatives into government roles was not the right decision.

They could have been more effective as a pressure group rather than taking official responsibilities, he added.

He made these remarks on Saturday (Sep 20) while speaking at the third dialogue on Youth’s State of Thought, titled ‘Human Value-based Education and Campuses,’ at the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh.

“In democratic practice, no one in the world can simultaneously be part of the ruling party and the opposition,” Salahuddin said. “The day student representatives joined the government, I realized they would no longer be able to play a significant role in state-building.”

He further noted, “I cannot simply call on them to resign from the government; the urgency has to come from within themselves.”

Calling for unity without creating fresh crises, Salahuddin said, “Some parties may put forward certain demands, but it is not right to impose those on the nation. Let us not force each other. The changes we want will not happen overnight. Let us avoid new crises and hold on to unity.”

Addressing Jamaat leaders, Salahuddin said, “I saw in the newspapers that one of your leaders said, ‘Who will be the ruling party, and who will be the opposition.’ Is this something you decide, or the people? If you are that confident, why not contest the elections? Why are you trying to obstruct elections with one excuse after another? The people see clearly who you are aligning with in your so-called joint movement.”

MN/