President pays deep homage to Bangabandhu on birth centenary

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DHAKA, March 16, 2020 (BSS) – President Md Abdul Hamid today paid his deep
homage to the memory of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman on the occasion of the his birth centenary.

In a message on the eve of the birth centenary celebration, he said March
17 is a memorable day in the history of the Bengali nation.

This year is the birth centenary of the greatest Bangali of all time Father
of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, he added.

The President said the government has announced ‘Mujib Barsho’ (Mujib
Year, 17 March 2020 to 17 March 2021) to celebrate gorgeously the birth
centenary of Father of the Nation both at home and abroad throughout the
year.

He called upon the fellow countrymen living at home and abroad to join the
birth centenary celebration of Bangabandhu in a very colourful and befitting
manner.

Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the architect of
sovereign and independent Bangladesh, was born in Tungipara of Gopalganj
district on March 17, 1920, he added.

From his boyhood, he said, this most distinguished great man was very kind
and generous but uncompromising on attaining the rights.

In the early forties of the last century, as a young student leader, having
come into contact with Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, Sher-e-Bangla A K Fazlul
Haque and Moulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani, Bangabandhu got involved in
active politics, he added.

The President said Bangabandhu led the nation in every democratic movement
including Sarbodolio Rashtrobhasa Sangram Parishad (All Party State Language
Action Committee), formed in 1948, the Language Movement in 1952, Jukta-Front
Election in 1954, movement against Martial Law in 1958, Six-Point Movement in
1966, Mass Upsurge in 1969 and the General Elections in 1970 for attaining
freedom and rights of our people.

The great leader was sent to jail several times and had to bear inhuman
sufferings for his active participation in those movements. Despite manifold
challenges, he did never compromise with the Pakistani rulers on the question
of establishing the rights of Bengalis, he added.

He said on March 7 in 1971 at the Race Course Maidan, keeping the feelings
and aspirations of the Bengalis, Bangabandhu uttered in his thunderous voice,
‘The struggle this time is a struggle for emancipation, the struggle this
time is a struggle for independence’.

This historic address was, in fact, the true charter of our independence,
he added.

On the night of March 25, he said, when Pakistani invaders attacked the
unarmed Bengalis in a blaze, the Father of the Nation declared the long-
cherished independence on 26th March in 1971.

“We achieved ultimate victory on December 16, 1971 through a nine-month
long armed struggle under the leadership of Bangabandhu,” he said.

He said how an address can rouse the whole nation, inspire them to leap
into the war of liberation for independence, the historic March 7 speech by
Bangabandhu is its unique example!

UNESCO has recognized the 7th March Speech of Bangabandhu as part of the
‘World’s Documentary Heritage’ and included it in the ‘Memory of the World
international Register’ on 30th October 2017, he added.

He said the Newsweek Magazine in its Issue on 5th April in 1971 termed
Bangabandhu as the ‘Poet of Politics’ for this historic address.

During the War of liberation, he said, Bangabandhu was confined in Pakistan
jail and the then ruler of Pakistan farcically awarded him death sentence.

But Bangabandhu said, ‘I shall not bow down my head to them rather I will
say I am a Bangali, Bangla is my country, Bangla is my language’, he added.

The President said for his extraordinary contributions to the nation,
Bangla, Bangladesh and Bangabandhu, thus, emerged as a unique symbol to the
people of Bangladesh.

Just after independence, Bangabandhu returned home on 10 January in 1972
freeing from Pakistan Jail, he added.

Bangabandhu put all-out efforts to rebuild the war-torn economy, he said.

The President said the great leader took all preparations including the
returning of the members of allied forces to their country, framing the
country’s constitution in a short time, fulfilling the basic rights of the
people, eliminating corruption at all levels, launching agricultural
revolution, nationalizing the industries to transform the country into ‘Sonar
Bangla’.

But the anti-liberation forces did not give the scope for materializing
that dream as this murderer group assassinated Bangabandhu and almost all of
his family members on 15 August in 1975, he added.

In politics, he said, Bangabandhu appears as a symbol of principle and
ideals.

He said the new generation will be able to know about the life and works
of Bangabandhu by reading ‘Unfinished Memoirs’ and ‘Karagarer Rojnamcha’
(Diary in Jail) written by Bangabandhu himself and other autobiographical
books written on him and thus will be able to contribute towards building the
nation inspired by the ideology of Bangabandhu.

Bangabandhu is not amongst us but his ideals will remain to be our source
of eternal inspiration, he added.

“Let the principle and ideals of Bangabandhu spread from generation to
generation; build a courageous, selfless and idealistic leadership-it is my
expectation on this day. Imbued with the spirit of the war of liberation, let
us pledge on the eve of ‘Mujib Barsho’ to turn Bangladesh into ‘Sonar Bangla’
by completing the unfinished tasks of Bangabandhu,” he said.