Language Movement paved path for Independence: PM Hasina

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday said it is the 1952 Language Movement that paved the path for achieving the Independence of Bangladesh.

“In the history of the Bangalee, the Language Movement is very much important. Our all the achievements came through this movement,” she said while distributing the prestigious Ekushey Padak, the second highest civilian award among its recipients.

The Ministry of Cultural Affairs organised the programme at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium with its State Minister for Cultural Affairs Ministry KM Khalid in the chair. The Prime Minister joined it virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban.

Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque handed over the Ekushey Padak among the recipients on behalf of the Prime Minister.

Briefly describing the contributions of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to the Language Movement, Sheikh Hasina said there was an Education Conference in Karachi in December 1947 that had taken a decision that Urdu will be the state language of Pakistan.

She mentioned that Bangabandhu formed the Chhatra League on January 4, 1948 and the proposal for the Language Movement had been taken as per his proposal. Basically, with this struggle of the Father of the Nation we attained our Independence, because he had started his protest against those who attacked our language.”

Following his (Bangabandhu’s) proposal, the ‘Sarbadoliya Rashtrabhasha Bangla Sangram Parishad’ (All Party State Language Bangla Action Council) had been formed at the Fazlul Huq Hall of Dhaka University, comprising Chhatra League, Tamuddin Majish and several other progressive student organisations in March (1948) for the movement to get the recognition of the Bangla as a state language, Hasina recalled.

She mentioned that the Bangalee nation attained independence under the leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman through long struggles starting from the Language Movement.

Making quotes from Bangabandhu’s speech delivered February 21, 1971, she said the language Movement was not only to establish the rights of mother tongue, but also to achieve political, social, cultural and economic rights of the Bangalee nation.