People from different walks of life have paid tribute to Senior Awami League leader Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury.
The body was taken to the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka at around 3pm on Monday.
Hundreds of people, including politicians of different parties and representatives of many social organizations, paid their respects to the presidium member of the Awami League and the lawmaker.
Bangla TribuneFaridpur-2 MP Sajeda Chowdhury passed away at Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka on Sunday night at the age of 87.
The deputy leader of the House was admitted to hospital with post-Covid-19 complications two weeks ago.
Tributes to Sajeda Chowdhury
President M Abdul Hamid expressed deep shock at the passing away of senior Awami League lawmaker Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury.
Meanwhile Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday said the nation has suffered an irreparable loss due to the death of Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury.
She said: “We have lost a seasoned politician while I've lost a true guardian,” she said in tributes to Sajeda Chowdhury.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also said she lost a true guardian, recalling Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury’s great contribution to the country's all the democratic and progressive movements.
Bangla TribuneIn separate messages, both the president and prime minister prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul and conveyed deep sympathy to the bereaved family.
Deputy Leader of Opposition and Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader expressed condolence at the death of the senior Awami League leader.
He said: “Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury was a patriotic leader. She has made an outstanding contribution to the welfare of the country and its people. Her contribution during the Liberation War will be written in golden letters. Her death has created a vacuum in the political arena that will never be filled. The country lost an elite political guardian following the death of Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury.”
Meanwhile, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader has expressed deep grief and sorrow over the death of Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury.
In a statement, he prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul and expressed deep condolences to her bereaved family, relatives, colleagues and well-wishers.
Jessore-3 MP Kazi Nabil Ahmed deep shock at the passing away of senior Awami League lawmaker Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury. He prayed for the eternal peace of the departed soul and expressed deep condolences to her bereaved family.
In a condolence message, Kazi Nabil Ahmed said: “The nation has lost a devoted political leader following the death of Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury. I prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul.”
Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad Shirin Sharmin ChowdhuryInformation and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud, LGRD Minister Md Tajul Islam, Awami League Advisory Council Member Amir Hossain Amu, Awami League Presidium Member Jahangir Kabir Nanak also expressed condolence at the death of the senior Awami League leader.
Namaz-e-janaza
Sajeda Chowdhury will be buried at the Banani Graveyard in Dhaka with state honour, following her second namaz-e-janaza at the south gate of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque after Asr prayers on Monday.
The first namaz-e-janaza of the senior Awami League leader was held at MN Academy school premises in Nagarkanda upazila of Faridpur around 11am.
Bangla TribuneThousands of people from all walks of life took part in the janaza braving rains.
Sajeda Chowdhury’s life at a glance
Born in a respected Muslim family in Magura in 1935, Sajeda Chowdhury had actively participated in all the movements since 1956 when she joined the Awami League.
Her husband Golam Akbar Chowdhury was a politician and social worker. He died in 2015. The couple has three sons and a daughter.
She was the founding general secretary of the party’s women’s wing, Mohila Awami League, in 1969 and held the position till 1975.
During the Liberation War, she was the founding director of Kolkata Gobra Nursing Camp. She was given the Independence Award in 2010.
In 1974, she got the Unesco fellowship for special contributions to rural development and education. The same year, she bagged the Silver Elephant Award as the national commissioner of Bangladesh Girl Guides Association.
In 2000, she was elected the Woman of the Year by the American Biographical Institute.
Sajeda Chowdhury became the party’s general secretary in 1986 and held the position till 1992 when she was inducted into the highest policymaking body, the Presidium.
Following the landslide victory of the Awami League in the 2008 elections, she was initially appointed deputy leader of the house in 2009.
After the Awami League won the 2014 and 2018 elections, Sajeda Chowdhury was reappointed to the same position.
In 2019, she was elected member of the parliament from Faridpur-2 constituency (Nagarkanda, Saltha, Sadarpur) for the seventh time and elected deputy leader of the House for the third time.