Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s historic speech delivered at the Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata on February 6, 1972 is a very significant one in the history of Bangali nation.
Bangladesh Information Ministry along with Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata, in cooperation with Indian authorities, will arrange a memorial meeting on Saturday marking the day at the historic parade ground on the eve of the golden jubilee of Bangladesh’s independence and the birth centenary of Bangabandhu.
Terming the initiative a milestone, the prime minister in a message said India had made remarkable contributions to Bangladesh’s Liberation War.
Sheikh Hasina said on one hand, India gave shelter, food and all other essentials to nearly 10 million people of Bangladesh during the Liberation War and on the other hand, hundreds of Indian soldiers embraced martyrdom for the independence of Bangladesh.
“That is why the friendship between the two countries is written in blood letters,” she added.
She said India’s gift of 2 million vaccines to Bangladesh in facing the coronavirus pandemic is an instance of that friendship.
Mentioning that Bangabandhu’s stay in Kolkata during his student life was very important, she said he [Bangabandhu] passed higher secondary and BA from Islamia College [now Maulana Azad College] in that city.
“During that period, he regularly took part in different political programs actively with national level leaders and obtained deep knowledge on true political practice and its aspects,” she added.
The prime minister said when the Liberation War started, around 7.2 million Bangladeshis took refuge in only West Bengal and at that time, Kolkata had turned into a union of Bangali nationalism.
In cooperation with the Indian government, Bangladesh leaders close to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had administered the Liberation War staying in Kolkata and different places in India, she recalled.
She said poets, litterateurs and intellectuals and others had played an unparalleled role during the Bangladesh Liberation War.
On the occasion of Bangabandhu’s historic speech on February 6, 1972 in Kolkata, the prime minister recalled the Father of the Nation with profound respect and prayed for the eternal peace of Bangabandhu’s soul.
She also recalled with gratitude the sacrifice and unity of Indian people during the Liberation War of Bangladesh.
She wished the friendly ties between the two neighbouring countries will be further strengthened in the coming days.
