It's a revenge of history: Hasina tells rally to celebrate recognition of Bangabandhu’s Mar 7 speech

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina says the UNESCO recognition of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's historic 7th March speech as part of world memory is a 'revenge of history'.

Speaking at a rally in Dhaka on Saturday to celebrate the recognition of the address, Bangabandhu's daughter Hasina referred to the time when discussion or dissemination of the speech was apparently banned in independent Bangladesh. 

Citizens' Committee organised the rally at the Suhrawardy Udyan, formerly Racecourse Maidan, where Bangabandhu made the speech in a thundering voice in 1971. “Our struggle this time is the struggle for freedom; our struggle this time is the struggle for independence,” he told the rousing crowd inspired by the speech for the freedom struggle.

With Awami League supporters and Bangabandhu's fans roared the same slogan -- 'Joy Bangla', Sheikh Hasina said, "History takes revenge. History establishes the truth. No matter how much they try to erase history, truth makes its place in history. Today, Bangladesh has achieved that recognition."      

UNESCO recently added the speech, alongside 77 other historic documents, to its Memory of the World International Register.

The prime minister said the country, Bengali nation, martyrs of the Liberation War, freedom fighters and pro-independence forces have also been honoured by the decision of the UN cultural agency.

She urged all to be united to prevent the rise of the anti-independence forces.

She said those who attempted to remove Bangabandhu’s name from history after the 1975 tragedy failed to do so.

After the assassination of Bangabandhu and most other members of his family on Aug 15 that year, his historic speech was not publicised in the state media. The situation persisted until the Awami League returned to power in 1996.        

Referring to the unofficial ban on publicising the speech, Hasina said, "They failed to erase the spirit of independence, Bangabandhu's name from history."

"It's our misfortune that they tried to erase the historic speech by banning it after killing the Father of the Nation in the independent Bangladesh," she said.

The Awami League President said the usurpers of 1975 were 'not Bangladeshis by birth'.

"That's why they had no love or emotion for the country. They tried to erase Bangabandhu's name," she said.

She wondered whether they feel ashamed now after the UNESCO recognised Bangabandhu's speech.

"I don't know whether they are ashamed of their misdeeds. They are the ghosts of the Pakistani occupation forces of 1971. They still fawn over Pakistan. They tried to distort history," she said.

"I have only one request to make today -- never let them try to distort history. The people have to rise against such attempts.     

"We are a proud nation in the world now. We must hold our heads high in building the Bengali nation," she said.

The Citizens’ Committee, under the supervision of Prof Anisuzzaman, organised the rally. Hasina was the chief guest at the event.

The rally began with the national anthem, recitation of religious scriptures and a poem by Nirmalendu Goon on the speech.

Journalist Golam Sarwar, martyred intellectual's widow Shyamoli Nasrin Chowdhury, Prof Rafiqul Islam, Prof Muhammad Zafar Iqbal and UNESCO Country Representative Beatrice Kaldun also spoke at the event.

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader also delivered a speech thanking everyone for organising and attending the rally, and Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor recited poems.

Activists from the Awami League and its allies marched to Suhrawardy Udyan from different areas in Dhaka and beyond on Saturday to take part in the rally. Students and people from many occupations and backgrounds took part in the event.

Police blocked the Ruposhi Bangla Hotel intersection, the Kakrail intersection, the GPO intersection, Golap Shah Mazar, the Dhaka Medical College intersection and the Nilkhet intersection to allow the marches. Those who attended the rally had to walk from those locations to the Udyan.