BSS :
Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi on Saturday said leaders of BNP are hypocrites as they do not believe in the spirit of the War of Liberation though they call their leader (Ziaur Rahman) a freedom fighter.
“BNP is not in favour of the War of Liberation and does not speak for freedom fighters,” Tipu said while addressing a function to unveil the book “Smritite Rananga”‘ at Town Hall in the city as the chief guest.
The district administration and Rangpur District Unit Command of Bangladesh Muktijoddha Sangsad (BMS) organised the function with Deputy Commissioner (DC) Md Asib Ahsan in the chair.
Rangpur district administration has published the book compiling Liberation War time reminiscences of 72 freedom fighters living in Rangpur metropolis.
The minister said the government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has raised the monthly honorarium of freedom fighters to Taka 20,000 to help them live comfortably.
“BNP, the claimant of a party of freedom fighters, did not say anything about the welfare of freedom fighters. They claim their leader as a freedom fighter, but they do not have the claim in their minds. This is hypocrisy,” he said.
Tipu said the defeated forces of 1971 had killed Bangabandhu out of a dream of turning Bangladesh into Pakistan again.
In the post August 15 scenario, the Joybangla slogan became ‘Bangladesh Zindabad’. It was the first blow to the spirit of the War of Liberation through the assassination of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, he added.
“With the Joybangla slogan, freedom fighters fought the War of Liberation,” he said, adding that Bangladesh was pushed backward for 21 years by killing Bangabandhu and keeping the pro-Pakistani thoughts alive.
“But Bangladesh has now become a global role model of development in the hands of Bangabandhu’s daughter Sheikh Hasina. Pakistan is now lagging behind Bangladesh in all indices,” he observed.
“When our foreign currency reserve stands at 48 billion US dollars, it is half in Pakistan. In every respect, Bangladesh is now ahead of Pakistan,” Tipu said.
Recalling his memories in training camps of the War of Liberation, he said, “The next generations must be informed the correct history of independence and War of Liberation by inspiring them in reading Bangabandhu’s prison diary, unfinished autobiography and all the books written about him,” he said.
Later, the chief guest handed over the book ‘Smritite Ranangan’ to heroic freedom fighters.
Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mohammad Abdul Alim Mahmud, District Awami League President Mamtaz Uddin Ahmed, its General Secretary Advocate Rezaul Karim Raju, former district unit commander of BMS Mosaddek Hossain Bablu, City Awami League President Shafiur Rahman Shafi and its General Secretary Tushar Kanti Mandal attended the function, among others.
