August 15 Carnage Was a Blow to Whole Nation: PM

Anti-liberation forces brutally killed Bangabandhu along with most of his family members, nephew and security personnel to take revenge for their defeat in the war of liberation in 1971, she said.
Sheikh Hasina, eldest daughter of Bangabandhu, said this while inaugurating a blood donation programme organized by Bangladesh Krishak League on the premises of Bangabandhu Bhaban on Dhanmondi Road no 32.
The carnage of August 15, 1975 was retaliation against the Bengali nation for its victory defeating Pakistani army in a war, she said.

The killers wanted the Bengali nation not to raise its head again. To execute their evil design, they brutally killed the four national leaders in the jail on November 3, 1975, who led the War of Liberation on the ground.
Awami League presidium member Mohammad Nasim, secretary of Bangladesh Awami League on agriculture and cooperative affairs Dr Abdur RazzK and Barrister Fazley Nur Tapash also spoke on the occasion while president of the Krishak League Motahar Hossain was in the chair.
Sheikh Hasina recalled that only 15 days ago she and her only surviving sister Sheikh Rahana left for Germany with her two children, Joy and Putul. "We could never thought that such a disaster was waiting for us," she said.
"We departed the country leaving everybody. And after 15 days we lost all of them at a time, how pathetic it was," the prime minister remembered in a voice choked with emotion.

Sheikh Hasina said killer Mustaq and Ziaur Rahman usurped power and prevented her from coming back home. But she decided to break the barriers of the rulers when Awami League made her the party president, she said.
She said the band of killers launched attacks on three houses at a time and resorted to cold-blooded murder of the family members of Bangabandhu irrespective of women and children.
The killers even didn't spare Krishak League leader and brother of Bangabandhu Sheikh Naser and 16 members of his house including his two daughters, minor son and grandchild.

Bangladesh KrishK League arranged the blood donation as part of the 40-day programme of Bangladesh Awami League and its front organizations marking the 40th National Mourning Day commemorating the assassination of the Father of the Nation 40 years ago.
Sheikh Hasina said Bangabandhu gave the nation political freedom. He dedicated his whole life to the struggle for economic emancipation of the Bengali people to bring smile on their face.

In view of materializing his dream for people's economic freedom, Sheikh Hasina said, Bangabandhu had started a new journey bringing people together on a platform. At that time the anti-liberation forces killed him to thwart his dream.
"The Father of the Nation is no more amongst us. But his ideology, his goals and the guideline he showed us for economic emancipation still remained vivid to us. We are striving to fulfill his dream," the eldest daughter of Bangabandhu said adding that Bangladesh would have been developed much earlier, if Bangabandhu was alive.
Recalling the incident of the fateful night, Sheikh Hasina said, "I have lost every member of my family on August 15, 1975. The killers assassinated my mother who used to steer the politics when Bangabandhu was in jail and remained with Bangabandhu like a shadow in his political career and always inspired him."

Sheikh Hasina said she is confident about the ultimate victory of truth. So she never deviated from her cherished goal to materialize the dream of Bangabandhu to build Bangladesh as a prosperous and peaceful nation.
"My father has given freedom to the nation. The killers and conspirators made their all attempts to frustrate the freedom. But we are confident that none will be able to suppress the nation," she added.

Sheikh Hasina said Bangabandhu always used to tell about the farmers as they were the backbone of the country's economy. She said her government also has attached utmost importance to agriculture sector and is making all strides for their welfare.
She said farmers had the highest contribution to the country's development and attaining the country's lower middle income status.
Sheikh Hasina said her government has made agricultural components available to farmers and farmers are getting financial support from the government through banking system. BNP killed 18 farmers for demanding fertilizer. Now around 1.45 crore farmers get various support from the government, she said.
The prime minister said importance was given to increasing the agricultural production, ensuring food security and carrying out research on agriculture to increase production and diversification of crops, and seeds.
She said Bangladesh is now a role model of development for the whole world. Bangladesh by 2021 would be a higher middle income country by 2021 and a developed nation by 2041, she hoped.
She urged for strengthening the Krishak League to uphold the ideology of Bangabandhu and make the dream of independence true.