Bangladesh
Bangabandhu Language movement started with Bangabandhu's proposal: PM Hasina
Dhaka, February 20: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said, "Language movement is very important in the history of Bengali liberation struggle. The Pakistani rulers tried to impose a foreign language on us. An education conference was held in Karachi in 1947, where it was announced that Urdu would be the state language of Pakistan. But we were Bengalis and Bengali was our mother tongue in more than 56 percent of the country called Pakistan. As soon as this announcement came to East Bengal, the students of Dhaka University protested. At that time they went in front of the Chief Minister's house and protested. On January 4, 1948, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman formed an organization called Chhatra League and it was at his suggestion that the language movement started its journey."
The Prime Minister made the remarks at a video conference from Ganobhaban on Saturday (February 20).
Bangabandhu Kanya said, ‘It is through this struggle of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu that we have achieved this freedom. He started protesting against those who hurt our language. He was a student of Dhaka University. First he held a meeting with other student organizations and the Tamaddun Majlish. It was decided that a language struggle council would be formed. From that meeting it was decided that the movement would start by announcing a date. It was February 2nd. The strike was called on March 11. Many leaders including Bangabandhu were arrested while going on strike. As a result of the movement, the rulers accepted some demands and released many on March 15. A meeting was held at the Amtala of Dhaka University on 17 March, presided over by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. It called for an end to the language struggle and an investigation into the shootings.
The Prime Minister said she was publishing the report of Pakistan's intelligence about Bangabandhu from 1947 to 1971. More information can be found there.
Sheikh Hasina said, "Many people including Salam, Barkat and Rafiq donated blood in 1952. But even then the rulers did not make Bengali their mother tongue. The Awami League government came in 1958 but made Bengal the state language of the region. The language martyrs not only spoke in their mother tongue with blood, they paved the way for our independence. '
