The 43rd death anniversary of veteran politician Mawlana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani was observed with due respect across Bangladesh yesterday.
Popularly known as Majlum Jananeta (Leader of the Downtrodden), Mawlana Bhashani passed away on November 17 in 1976.
President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gave separate messages, paying tribute to Mawlana Bhashani, reports BSS.
Information minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud adresses a discussion on Mawlana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani at the National Press Club in Dhaka on Sunday, November 17, 2019 | Focus Bangla
Several organizations, including Bangladesh National Awami Party (NAP Bhashani), Awami League, BNP, Jatiya Party, Krishak Sramik Janata League, Mawlana Bhashani University of Science and Technology, Bhashani Foundation, and Shaheed Asad Parishad marked the day with various programmes.
The programs included placing wreaths at Bhashani's grave in Santosh, Tangail, and offering prayers seeking eternal peace for his departed soul.
The local units of Awami League and other parties and various organisations placed wreaths at the late leader's grave.
A BNP delegation, led by its secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, placed wreaths at the grave of Bhashani, and offered prayers.
Tributes across the country
In Brahmanbaria, a discussion meeting was held by Bhashani Chorcha Kendra at the Brahmanbaria Press Club auditorium to commemorate the death anniversary.
Speakers at the meeting urged everyone present to take part in the democratic movement against hegemony and imperialism by emulating Bhashani.
In Tangail, a number of sociocultural organizations will organize various programs to mark the day. The programs include placing wreaths at Bhasani's grave in Tangail and offering prayers seeking eternal peace for his departed soul.
Who was Bhashani?
Born in 1880 in Dhangara in Sirajganj, Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani was the son of Haji Sharafat Ali Khan.
Bhashani was a popular leader in his fight against imperialism and oppression by the then Pakistani rulers.
He gained immense popularity among farmers and is regarded as the proponent of secular and left leaning politics in Bangladesh.
He was the founder president of the Pakistan Awami Muslim League that later became Awami League. He also formed a progressive political organization called the National Awami Party.
Bhashani played a very significant role in the 1969 movement against Pakistan which eventually led to the collapse of the Ayub regime and the release of Bangabandhu and others accused in the so called Agartala conspiracy case.
He also led the historic Farakka Long March in 1976 to ensure Bangladesh's due rights to its share of water from the Ganges River.
Dhaka Tribune’s Abdullah Al Numan and Ujjal Kumar Chakraborty, contributed to this report
