Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan today said that the Sepoy-People's Revolution of 1975 and the July Uprising of 2024 emerged from the same socio-political context.
"The context of the Sepoy-People's Revolution of 1975 is quite similar to that of the July Uprising of 2024. In fact, there is very little difference between the circumstances that gave rise to these two mass movements," he said.
Asif Mahmud made the remarks while speaking at a roundtable discussion titled 'From November to July: From Revolution to Revolution' organized by the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement at the Tofazzal Hossain Manik Mia Hall of the National Press Club, marking the National Revolution and Solidarity Day.
He said that the failure to establish a just and functional state after independence had created the background for both events.
"Those who took charge after independence engaged in corruption and plundering. That led to the context for the Sepoy-People's Revolution in 1975 and nearly the same conditions resurfaced in 2024," he added.
The adviser said Bangladesh's real journey as a functioning state began after 1975, when the nation started building institutions, strengthening the military, and asserting its role in regional politics, developments that remain relevant today.
Highlighting the contribution of BNP founder Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman, Asif said, "Ziaur Rahman initiated welfare-oriented politics and worked to build a strong state structure. The country still runs on the foundation he laid, which is evident in our political and policy discourses."
The discussion also focused on the changing landscape of Bangladesh's politics and the activities of various parties in the aftermath of the July Uprising.
President of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement Rifat Rashid conducted the session, while Amar Bangladesh (AB) Party Chairman Mojibur Rahman Monju, poet and political thinker Farhad Mazhar, Dr. Abdul Latif Masum, and former army officer Lieutenant Colonel (Retd.) Hasinur Rahman also spoke at the event.
