Ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has accused forces aligned with Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus of supporting groups that allegedly harbour anti-national and pro-Pakistani ideologies.
In a statement marking the significance of 7 March in Bangladesh’s history, Hasina, addressing her Awami League party cadres from India, claimed that these forces are attempting to erase the legacy of the Liberation War and the contributions of the nation’s founding father, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Hasina alleged that after unlawfully seizing state power, these groups have systematically removed Bangabandhu’s name from various institutions, replacing it with names associated with the infamous Razakars, the collaborators during the 1971 Liberation War.
Among the contentious actions of the current administration is the cancellation of the national holiday on 7 March, a day that commemorates Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s historic speech at Dhaka’s Racecourse Maidan in 1971.
In that speech, he declared, “This struggle is our struggle for freedom, this struggle is our struggle for independence.”
Until last year, this day was observed with state honours as a symbol of Bangladesh’s fight for independence.
The Awami League has widely promoted Hasina’s message through social media platforms, criticising the Yunus government for excluding significant national days from state celebrations and postponing the national recognition of the slogan “Joy Bangla.”
March 7: A symbol of resistance
Sheikh Hasina reiterated the importance of 7 March, describing it as an “unforgettable and inviolable day” in the history of the Bengali nation.
She recounted how Bangabandhu’s thunderous speech at the Racecourse Maidan (now Shaheed Suhrawardy Udyan) acted as a clarion call for independence, uniting millions of Bengalis under the banner of freedom.
The iconic phrase “Aar Dabay Rakhtey Parba Na” (We can no longer be suppressed) echoed across the nation, igniting the spirit of resistance against the oppressive Pakistani regime.
Hasina’s statement also spotlighted the legacy of Bangabandhu, who led the nation’s struggle for independence against Pakistan, enduring imprisonment and persecution for 24 years.
She asserted that Bangabandhu and Bangladesh are inseparably woven together, and any attempt to erase his contributions is an attack on the nation’s soul.
Call to action: Preserving the spirit of liberation
Hasina called upon the people of Bangladesh to unite against what she termed “anti-national and anti-people evil forces.”
She urged citizens to draw inspiration from the spirit of the Liberation War and the speech of Bangabandhu to defend the nation’s independence and sovereignty.
Emphasising that “no one has the ability to stop the mass power manifested in the spirit of the great liberation war,” Hasina advocated for a mass movement to safeguard Bangladesh’s history and identity.
Also read: Got 'no response' from India on Hasina's extradition: Yunus
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