Why do the quota agitators change their demands from time to time? -This question was raised by the Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat.
The state minister raised this question in a press briefing organized on contemporary affairs at the Dhaka district Awami League office in Tejgaon of the capital on Saturday (July 13) afternoon.
In the press briefing, the state minister also said that the quota agitators are changing their demands from time to time. We all know that the state has three organs. Executive, Judiciary and Legislature. If there is no understanding of how these three organs work, then confusion arises. Again and again they are changing the demands on behalf of the agitators, each time they are making demands from each organ of the state, here it seems that they lack some consistency.
He also said that at first the protestors demanded that the circular issued by the government should be reinstated on the orders of the High Court. Only the Judiciary has the power to reinstate it. Therefore, it can be assumed that the judiciary, i.e. the High Court, canceled the circular to the government in 2018, which they demanded from the High Court to reinstate. But there is no chance to change the High Court order by protesting on the streets. The only way to change this is to go to the Supreme Court.
The state minister said that when the government appealed to the Supreme Court against the order of the High Court Division and the legal battle started, the position of the government and the agitators became the same. The agitators also hired a lawyer for them and he sided with the government. However, the agitators again changed their demand and started saying that the government should form a commission. There is no scope for reforming the quota system or even announcing reforms when the government has resorted to legal proceedings in the Supreme Court appealing against the High Court order. Because it would be unconstitutional. But they (the agitators) started making that unconstitutional demand. Meanwhile, lawyers for the government managed to get a four-week status quo from the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ordered a status quo on the subject matter for four weeks and thereby reinstated the circular issued by the government in 2018 on quota. The order of the Supreme Court also stated that the order of the High Court did not remain in operation i.e. the circular of the government was reinstated. The demand of the agitators was fulfilled for four weeks, which was their initial demand. The Supreme Court also urged the agitators saying that the doors of the court are always open for them to present their views.
The state minister also said that when the executive department of the state and the government were moving towards settlement through legal process in the court, the agitators again started changing their demands and said that they want a solution through the executive department and not the judiciary. However, the government will not be able to do anything in this matter without completing the process of the Supreme Court. No announcement can be made in this regard. Everyone knows this.
He also said that the decision about quota is mainly taken by the executive department of the state, it is not a matter of the court or parliament. When the partial judgment of the High Court Division was finally published, the High Court advised the government and the executive department to reform the quota. Then their demands changed again. Now they are demanding that Parliament or Legislature should make laws. First the claim to the court, then the claim to the executive, then now the claim to Parliament. Advocates for the government have brought up this point in their arguments in the Supreme Court and will emphasize that policy decisions on quotas are the job of the executive, not the courts. Therefore, the demand for legislation in this regard in the Parliament is completely ignorant.
The state minister said, after the government circular was reinstated through the order of the Supreme Court, despite the fact that the basic demands of the agitators have been met, their basic demands and the position of the government appear to be the same, those who are repeatedly changing their demands are creating confusion and are still creating public suffering in the name of the movement. They don’t want reform of quota system, they have other problems.
He added, a slogan is being given, Medha na Kota, Kota na Medha, Medha, Medha. The slogan is very logical. I am in favor of this slogan. Of course talent. But the statement being presented by this slogan is creating confusion. Merit is also being considered for quota recruitment. Selection is done on merit up to a point. When merit is being pitted against quota, it is said to be untrue as one has to go through the merit list to avail quota benefits. That is why there is a quota system in all the countries of the world. need Elimination of discrimination requires priority consideration. Quotas do not create discrimination. The purpose of quota is to eliminate discrimination of backward, backward communities. The government is trying to eliminate discrimination and evaluate merit.
He also added that ordinary students want evaluation of merit. I agree with this spirit. But while evaluating the merit, care should be taken to ensure that the backward people, the oppressed, the victims of deprivation, the freedom fighters who built this country and their families are not left behind. General students should try to understand the whole subject. They should understand that their Dari and the government’s position coincided in the same place. The government’s position is consistent with the demands of the protesters. But some people are trying to mislead the common students by using their emotions. They should be aware and alert in this place.
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