Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has paid tributes to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on the 43rd anniversary of his epoch-making speech to the nation.
She placed wreaths at the portrait of the Father of the Nation in front of the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi in Dhaka on Friday.
Hasina stood in silence for a while after paying respect to the architect of Bangladesh’s independence.
She then placed another wreath at Bangabandhu’s portrait on behalf of her party, the Awami League.
On Mar 7, 1971, the founding father of the nation in his fiery address at Dhaka’s Race Course Maidan – now Suhrawardy Udyan – had given the clarion call for the decisive battle against the then repressive Pakistani army.
Deputy Leader of Parliament Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, senior Awami League leaders Tofail Ahmed, Amir Hossain Amu, Sahara Khatun, Obaidul Quader, Mahbub-ul Alam Hanif, Hasan Mahmud, Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan, Relief and Disaster Management Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, Prime Minister’s Advisor Towfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury and State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal were present, among others.
Various Awami League fronts also paid homage to Bangabandhu by placing wreaths at his portrait.
President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have issued messages to the nation marking the day.
The president in his message said Bangabandhu’s dream was to transform the free and sovereign Bangladesh into a happy and prosperous ‘Sonar Bangla’.
“To fulfil that dream of our great leader, we must continue to strive to remove hunger, poverty and ignorance from our society,” he said in the statement.
The Prime Minister’s message said Bangabandhu’s Mar 7 speech was one of the greatest political speeches of all time according to international political analysts.
“The speech was one of the great sources of power in Bangladesh’s struggle for freedom, and its appeal still remains,” she said.
“We must unite to fulfil Vision 2021 and Vision 2041 to reach our cherished destiny, just as Bangabandhu’s speech had united the Bengali nation.”
She asked for the people’s support in trying the war criminals of 1971 and fulfilling all other election pledges.
The ruling Awami League raised the national flag in front of the Bangabandhu Bhaban and the party headquarters.
A rally will be held at the Suhrawardy Udyan at 3pm where Awami League President Sheikh Hasina will be the chief guest.
It was the Mar 7 speech that pushed the nation into the struggle for freedom. After the brutal genocide on the night of Mar 25, Bangabandhu declared the freedom of the nation in the first hours of Mar 26, and the armed struggle for liberation began.
The nine-month war, in which the country sacrificed three million lives, ended on Dec 16 in victory.
Source: Bd news24
