Today, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the Awami League government incorporated Bangla as a state language in 1956 and declared February 21 as 'Shahid Dibas'.
The Awami League also earned world recognition for Bangla in 1999 and the party is proud of its role on both the occasions, she said.
"We are proud of Bangla being our mother language. It is a pride for us that our sacrifice for the language has earned it world recognition," she said.
Sheikh Hasina was addressing a discussion organized by Awami League (AL) on International Mother Language Day at Krishibid Institution at Khamarbari in the city, reported BSS.
The Prime Minister said, Bangabandhu first glorified the Bangla language by delivering his speech in the UN General Assembly in 1974 in Bangla. Following the footsteps of Bangabandhu, Awami League always worked with devotion for enriching the language and establishing the language in the world arena, she said.
Paying her rich tributes to the martyrs of the Language Movement, she said, the language martyrs have given us the right to call out to our mother and motherland in our own language.
Terming language as one of the important tools for existence and progress of a nation, Sheikh Hasina said, the Pakistani rulers hit our language and wanted to impose a foreign one on us as they could understand the matter.
"Colonial rulers wanted to establish that Urdu was the language of Islam while Bangali was the language of Hindus," she said, adding Bangabandhu had launched the arduous struggle for the very existence of the Bengali nation through the language movement.
Deputy Leader of the Jatiya Sangsad and AL presidium member Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury was in the chair while AL advisory council member Tofail Ahmed, presidium members Begum Matia Chowdhury, Advocate Yusuf Hossain Humayun, and Vice Chancellor of Dhaka University Professor AAMS Arefin Siddiqui were among the discussants.
AL joint secretary Jahangir Kabir Nanak, AL organizing secretary Bahauddin Nasim, MP, president of AL Dhaka City unit M A Aziz, general secretary, disaster and social welfare minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, AL labour affairs secretary Habibur Rahman Siraj and state minister for home Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal also spoke on the occasion.
Giving a chronology of the language movement and Bangabandhu's leadership of it, the Prime Minister, also the President of Awami League, said, Bangabandhu was sent to jail time and time again for his role in the language movement. Bangabandhu was kept behind bars from 1949 to 1952.
The Prime Minister said, Bangladesh, as the hub of the language movement has shouldered great responsibility to protect a language now on the verge extinction. The International Mother Language Institute has been set up for research and for giving support to protect the languages of different ethnic minorities and small groups, she said.
About the current political situation, the Prime Minister said, "BNP frequently call us an illegal government. I will ask Khaleda Zia what was the legitimacy of the government of Ziaur Rahman in 1977."
Urging Begum Zia to shun all destructive activities and stop spreading falsehood against the Awami League government, she said, Begum Zia has to take the responsibility of destructive activities of her party-men in the name of movement to foil the national election.
"I will ask Begum Zia not to speak about her movement any further. Her movement is only meant for mounting sufferings of the people which only leads to killings, arson and hurling of patrol bombs and damage to public property," she said.
Criticizing BNP leaders for giving false statements on Upazila elections, the Prime Minister said, BNP is taking part in the Upazila elections though they never believed in this particular system of local government.
BNP dissolved the Upazila councils after taking office in 1991. But, they are now taking part in the upazila elections; she said adding that BNP had even said that the party would not join any election under the Awami League government.
"Despite their victory in the highest number of seats, BNP is not satisfied with the results. She sees everything illegally, just as her party's emergence was illegal," Sheikh Hasina said.
Tofail Ahmed said, Bangabandhu glorified Bangla language in world stage by delivering speech in Bangla in the UN Bangladesh is progressing ahead. But, conspirators are not sitting idle, he said.
Terming BNP as a party of 'illiterate' people, Tofail Ahmed said, BNP corrected their mistake of boycotting national polls in January by taking part in Upazila elections. Now they are out to make people fool by raising allegations of rigging the election.
Pointing out the demolition of the Shahid Minar in Kushtia by the anti-liberation force, Matia Chowdhury said, the incident proves that the ghosts of evil forces of 1952 are still active in the country.
Prof Arefin Suddiqui said, Ekushey is an endless inspiration for us as well as a great lesson to inspire people with the spirit of nationalism and patriotism.
"It is our duty to ensure access to education for every citizen to materialize the spirit of immortal Ekushey," he said laying importance on uniform education system for every citizen.