President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday called upon all to work relentlessly to build a happy and prosperous country free from hunger, poverty and illiteracy.
They made the call on the occasion of historic Mujibnagar Day today.
The President and the Prime Minister in separate messages on the eve of the day paid rich tributes to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and four national leaders.
President Abdul Hamid greeted the countrymen and recalled with profound respect the greatest Bangalee of all times, founder of Bangladesh, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as well as four national leaders — Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmed, Captain M Mansur Ali and AHM Quamruzzaman — who led the Mujibnagar government. He also recalled with gratitude the contribution of the martyrs, freedom fighters and organizers and supporters of the Liberation War.
“The importance and role of the Mujibnagar government were immense in our Liberation War,” the President said.
The independence is the greatest achievement of the nation, he said and called for projecting correctly the history of the Liberation War.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called on the countrymen to dedicate themselves to building a hunger, poverty and illiteracy free peaceful and democratic Bangladesh with the spirit of historic Mujibnagar Day.
Besides paying rich tributes to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and four national leaders, the Prime Minister recalled the contribution and sacrifices of all martyrs and freedom fighters, their supporters and mothers and sisters, who suffered torture during the nine-month War of Liberation in 1971.
Describing the day as a red-letter day in the country’s history, she said the war of liberation and running of a government got an institutional shape following taking oath of office of the government of Bangladesh on April 17 at the mango grove of Baidyanathtala in Meherpur district.
Earlier, on April 10, 1971, she said the Bangladesh government was formed comprising the elected representatives with Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as its President, Syed Nazrul Islam as Vice-President and Tajuddin Ahmed as Prime Minister.
Sheikh Hasina recalled that the Mujibnagar government had conducted the LiberationWar efficiently for nine months keeping the people united. The war concluded with the final victory on December 16, 1971 with the help of allied forces.
She also recalled that after three years and six months, the reactionary forces killed the Father of the Nation along with most of his family members on August 15, 1975 and four national leaders in jail on November 3 the same year.
The Prime Minister said the nation was relieved of the stigma with the execution of the verdict of Bangabandhu murder case while the trial of the murder cases of four national leaders has been held.
In this connection, she said the verdicts of the cases of war criminals are being executed although the BNP -Jamaat alliance was trying to obstruct the trial process and development activities.
They are burning people to death in militant style also to save the BNP chief and her family members from corruption cases, she added.
The people of this country have rejected them with hatred and they are now united against the anti-liberation and anti-development evil forces, the Prime Minister said.
