Excessive criticism of post-independence government paved the way for Bangabandhu's killing: PM Hasina

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was not given enough time to reconstruct a war-torn country and held the critics of the then government responsible for creating Aug 15, 1975.

“There was too much criticism against him. Now, I feel that had there been no criticism like that, August 15 could not have happened,” she said, adding: “I believe they realised later what they have lost.”

“It was not easy to rebuild a war-torn country overnight. But no one was ready to accept that. They unleashed their barrage of criticism in writings and in speeches,” she said.

She was speaking at the launching ceremony of “Karagarer Rojnamcha”, depicting Bangabandhu’s life in prison at the Krishibid Institute in the capital on Tuesday.

The manuscript of the book was a hand-written ‘khata’ or notebook Bangabandhu used in prison. It was confiscated by the than Pakistani government, but special branch of police found it in 2014.

Reminiscing those days, Sheikh Hasina said that “in my childhood, I used to meet my father in prison. For two years at a stretch he was away from us.”

“We knew that our father is working for the people of the country. So, we did not ask for anything from our father, but when he was at home he was very affectionate to us,” she said.

“Today, I recollect the contribution of my mother. She always inspired my father to write. When my father was in jail, it was my mother who used to provide him khatas to write and she later preserved those,” Hasina added.

The prime minister said that she was proud to publish her father’s write-ups recovered after so many obstacles.

Bangabandu came to Bangladesh from Pakistani prison on Jan 10, 1972, and concentrated building the war-ravaged country.

But his life was taken away, along with most of his family members, on Aug 15, 1975 by a group of misguided soldiers who staged the bloodiest coup in country’s history.

“My father was selfless. He had nothing to gain or lose. Rather, he wanted to give something to the people of this country, which he did – an independent state, an identity and an address.”

“Those who wanted to wipe out his name from history, have failed.”

“I have only one agenda – building the golden Bengal he dreamt of,” she added.