Justice and Democracy Party (JDP) convener Naeem Ahmad has alleged that the aspirations of the 2024 uprising were undermined by what he called 'many shadow Mujibs'. Speaking at a discussion titled “From People’s War to Mass Uprising: Expectations, Achievements and New Politics” at Dhaka University’s Madhur Canteen on Mujibnagar Day, he said Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was the mastermind behind the lost aspirations of 1971, while the current political failures stem from those following his shadow.

Ahmad stated that although the 1971 Mujibnagar government took oath while Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was imprisoned in Pakistan, he became the president of the provisional government and later led the country after independence. He argued that the hopes for ending fascism and building a corruption-free, egalitarian Bangladesh after the July 2024 uprising were not realized, as vested groups restored old political practices.

He further claimed that some individuals, despite not participating in the uprising, gained power through collusion with the interim government and misuse of corrupt funds. Ahmad urged that power be returned to the people to free the nation from these privileged groups.