Lawmakers from the treasury and opposition benches today urged the government to declare the March 7 as the national day to show rich tribute to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
During a discussion before adopting thanksgiving motion hailing the recognition of Bangabandhu's historic March 7 speech as a world documentary heritage by the Unesco, the MPs said the March 71 Speech was once for only Bangali nation but now it has become the global asset.
They demanded of the government take immediate and effective measures for declaring March 7 as a national day for the immortal speech of Bangabandhu that touched the hearts of every Bangalees across the then East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, and helped knock the world conscience for favouring oppressed people of the country.
Treasury bench member Tofail Ahmed, also the commerce minister, moved the motion for adopting a thanksgiving resolution in the House as per the rule 147 (1) of the rules of procedure.
Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, who was presiding over the sitting, accepted the proposal and tabled it to have discussion in this regard. Prime Minister and leader of the house Sheikh Hasina winded up the discussion hailing the Unesco recognition of this great speech.
Moving the motion, Tofail said such this recognition by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) was a very expected thing as the only 18-minute unwritten speech of Father of the Nation had been able to reach the Bangali nation at the final stage of liberty.
Terming the speech as a matter of great pride for the country, he said Bangabandhu in his short speech highlighted the history of long 23-year repression on Bangalis that also knocked the whole world during Liberation War in 1971.
Taking part in the discussion, Opposition Leader in the parliament Rowshan Ershad said: "I, along with my country's other people, very much delighted for the Unesco's recognition of Bangabandhu's March 7 speech."
She said Bangabandhu's March 7 Speech made us proud as it gave us an Independent state kept country's head high.
"He [Bangabandhu] was a poet of politics," she quoted different international leaders as saying; his immortal speech is an inspiration of all freedom-seekers people across the world.
The opposition leader stressed the need for establishing Bangabandhu as the "Father of the Nation" at all strata of lives.
Deputy Speaker M Fazle Rabbi Miah, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Agriculture Minister Begum Matia Chowdhury, Health Minister Mohammed Nasim, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid, Liberation War Minister AKM Mozzammel Huq, Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan, Housing and Public Works Minister Engineer Mosharraf Hossain, Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor, Land Minister Shamsur Rahman Sherif, Foreign Affairs Minister AH Mahmood Ali, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon, Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu, Primary and Mass Education Minister Mostafizur Rahman, Chief Whip ASM Feroz, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam, State Minister for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Zunaid Ahmed Palak, Whip Shahiduzzaman Sarker, Deputy Minister for youth and Sports Arif Khan Joy, lawmakers - Abdul Matin Khasru, Abdur Razzak, Prof Ali Ashraf, Abdus Shahid, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Dr Dipu Moni, Kazi Feroz Rashid, Shamsul Haque Tuku, BM Mozammel Haque, Israfil Sarker, Mainuddin Khan Badal, captain (retd) AB Tajul Islam, Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu, Rustom Ali Farazi, Tajul Islam, Sagufta Yasmin Emily, Talukder Mohammad Yunuch, Mrinal Kanti Das, Abu Syed Al-Mahmud Swapon, Fazilatunnesa Bappi, Kazi Taheeib Alam Siddique, Dr Enamur Rahman, Major (retd) ATM Abdul Wahab, M Monirul Islam, Bangladesh Nationalist Front (BNF) leader SM Abul Kalam Azad, Advocate Sanjida Khanam, Pankaj Nath, Fakhrul Imam, Nurunnabi Chowdhury Shawon, Umme Rajia Kajol, Enamul Haque, Begum, Kazi Nabil Ahmed, Sabina Akhter Tuhin, Peer Habibur Rahman, Akhter Jahan, Talukder Mohammad Younus, Mohammad Mosleh Uddin took part in the lengthy discussion.
Sheikh Fazlul Karim said Bangabandhu's March 7 Speech made the Liberation War easier and it was immensely telecast worldwide and inspired the whole nation to achieve the hard-earned Independence in 1971.
Participating in the general discussion, Matia Chowdhury said, "I joined the March 7 rally as an audience but subsequently I returned as a warrior."
She said a vested quarter is trying to erase the real history of Liberation War and simultaneously the historical place of Suhrawardy Uddyan by making a 'Children Park' there.
Mohammed Nasim said the historic March 7 Speech united the whole Bangalis nation and it inspired the freedom-loving people as a historical directive to fight for the political, socio-cultural and economic emancipation.
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He said Bangalis will recall the historic March 7 Speech for long as a holy thing while freedom-loving people of the world will get inspiration to fight against misrule and injustice.
Nasim also expressed his gratitude to the Unesco authority and all concerned for this history reorganisation and this enriched history and heritages of Bangladesh in the world arena.
Referring to the March 7 Speech as unique, unparallel and world-famous political speech of the world, Hasanul Haq
Inu said the speech was a war policy and war-technique that inspired the mass people for attaining self-rule and Independence.
He said Bangabandhu, the greatest Bangali of thousand years, was a real Bangladesh and he was not a person only but also a flag, an independent country and inspiration of mass people.
The MPs said the Unesco recognition is another milestone in the continuation of global acclamation that kept the head of Bangladesh high globally.
They thanked Unesco Director General Irina Bokova who announced the decision of inclusion Bangabndhu's speech in the Memory of the World International Register, a list of the world's important documentary heritage, on October 30.
On March 7, 1971, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in his fiery speech called on freedom-loving Bangalis to wage a decisive struggle against the Pakistani oppressors, the MPs mentioned, adding that the speech set the tone for the Liberation War that would officially begin subsequently.
The participants in the discussion said Bangabandhu proclaimed in a thunderous voice at a huge gathering at the then Racecourse Maidan (now Suhrawardy Udyan) on March 7 saying, "Ebarer Sangram, Amader Muktir Sangram;
Ebarer Sangram Swadhinatar Sangram (The struggle this time is a struggle for emancipation, the struggle this time is a struggle for independence)."
Thursday, April 25, 2024
