June 23: From Nothing to the Journey of Achieving Everything

Engr. Tanvir Hasan Talash, Engr. Md. Abu Hasan Shahriar:

The date "June 23" is particularly significant in the history of the Bengali nation. This day in 1957 saw the defeat of Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah in the Battle of Palashi and the beginning of the British colonial rule in Bengal, which later engulfed the Indian subcontinent. After 193 years of subjugation, a political party named "East Pakistan Awami Muslim League" was formed on this day in 1949 in context with the post-partition political reality. And this party led the Bengali nation to regain its independence on December 16 in 1971 after 215 years of subjugation. Notably in 1955, the word ‘Muslim’ was removed from the party name for emerging as a non-communal party and later it became Bangladesh Awami League after its leadership to create Bangladesh. Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Sheikh Hasina and many eminent politicians, freedom-loving revolutionaries, and freedom fighters have made the party successful over the years.

Since its birth, Bangladesh Awami League, created by Bangabandhu's own hands, has been working relentlessly for the people of the country as the locomotive of independence, a promoter for economic liberty, a shelter for non-communal spirit, and a dreamer of building a digital and Smart Bangladesh. So, June 23 is, on the one hand, the day of losing everything due to the defeat in the battle of Palashi, on the other hand, it is the beginning of the independence of the Bengali nation through the establishment of Bangladesh Awami League.

To understand the backdrops of the creation and development of the Bangladesh Awami League, it is necessary to know the socio-economic and political context of ancient and medieval periods. India accounted for 25% of the total global GDP on the eve of British colonialism. The main sources of economic income were - the cottage industry, weaving, spices, cotton, and other agricultural products. The Bengal was no exception during that glorious period. Abundant crops were grown on the fertile soil on the river banks. Dhaka Muslin was the best in that era. However, with the arrival of British colonialism, the economic condition of the region started to deteriorate. The British continued to smuggle huge amounts of wealth from the region to Britain by destroying the region's cottage industries, including muslin, forcing farmers to cultivate indigo and not pay fair prices, and imposing excessive taxes on the people. Continued economic exploitation reduced India's GDP from 25% of global GDP to less than 5% of global GDP in the 1940s. Although there was no record of famine in the region in the past, there were frequent famines during British rule. A very simple and clear narration of this situation can be found at the very beginning of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's unfinished autobiography - how the buildings built by the ancestors during the Mughal period - the land-zamindari everything came to an end - can be found in his simple but powerful description.

After the end of British colonial rule in India in 1947 following the long struggle, Bengal faced another round of subjugation. In the provincial elections of 1946, the Muslim League under the leadership of Suhrawardy won the majority in Muslim-majority Punjab, Sindh, Frontier Province, and Bengal alone. Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy and Bangabandhu expected that along with non-communal, liberal supporters of the Muslim League, as well as the aspiration of the mass Bengali, a non-sectarian independent state would be formed in the Bengali region in line with the historic Lahore Resolution. But in the context of the central Muslim League and Congress activities and some planned communal riots, Bangladesh had to become a part of Pakistan instead of a united Bengal, and Bengal with the highest Muslim population was divided into two parts. After the birth of Pakistan, the pro-West Pakistan section of the Muslim League under the leadership of Khwaja Nazimuddin continued to plot massive suppression of the non-communal, liberal, and people-friendly sections of the East Pakistan Muslim League and Muslim Chhatra League, who were the followers of Suhrawardy. Given the continued deprivation, the 'East Pakistan Muslim Chhatra League' was formed on January 4, 1948, under the patronage of Bangabandhu.

The disappointment and anger began mounting among the people of Bangladesh with the conspiracy to curtail the right of the Bengali language, cordon system (blocking food from one district to another district) in the wake of the food crisis, extorting people in the name of Jinnah Fund, imprisonment-torture on non-communal and liberal political activists, and smuggling wealth from this country to West Pakistan like the British. East Pakistan Awami Muslim League was formed on June 23, 1949, to fight back against this depressing situation with the demands of East Pakistan regional autonomy, state language Bengali and economic emancipation of the people of Bangladesh.

After becoming Prime Minister, Khawaja Nazimuddin backtracked from his promise to give Bengali the status of the state language. Then Bangabandhu, who was imprisoned without trial for twenty-six months under the Security Act, directed the formation of the all-party Rashtrabhasha Sangram Parishad for Chhatra League activists. It was decided that State Language Day would be observed on February 21, 1952, and from February 16, Bangabandhu would start a hunger strike to demand his release. However, following the brutal attack on students on 21 February, the whole of Bangladesh joined the language movement, and the Pakistani government was forced to recognize Bengali as the state language. Bangabandhu was released from jail after 11 days of hunger strike on February 27. In this way, Awami League started organizing amid continuous repression, And the Muslim League began to get isolated. As a result, in the 1954 elections, Muslim League got only nine out of 237 seats in East Pakistan, and the United Front led by the Awami League got 223. But on the day Bangabandhu was sworn in as a minister after the formation of the United Front government, the Adamjee Jute mill authorities and security personnel indiscriminately fired at the Bengali workers who were demanding their wages in a rally inside the mill and killed more than five hundred workers. The sabotage aimed at overthrowing the United Front government by inciting communal riots. That day, Bangabandhu entered the mill and controlled the rioting situation, and sent the injured to the hospital. On the other hand, because Bangabandhu made a statement against the Pak-American military pact to implement Awami League's non-aligned foreign policy, the Western superpower fell on Bangabandhu. Later, to suppress the Awami League, the cabinet of the United Front was abolished and Governor's rule was imposed in East Pakistan. Bangabandhu was the only one among the half-dozen ministers of the United Front arrested. Many keep themselves safe by fleeing, compromising and being inactive in politics. Despite the relentless exploitation and deprivation, Bangabandhu continued his uncompromising struggle for the liberation of the people of Bangladesh. In continuation of this, in 1966, the charter of freedom of the Bengali nation was announced as 'Historic Six Points'.

Later, following the Agartala conspiracy case, Bangabandhu's release from prison in the 69 mass uprising, the betrayal of West Pakistan with the Awami League and Bengali people after the 1970 national and provincial elections, international conspiracies, and the brutal roles of the Razakars during nine months of the war in 1971, Bangladesh achieved its much-desired freedom under the steadfast leadership of Bangabandhu and through the brave sacrifice of three million martyrs.

The other so-called larger political parties in Bangladesh were created as means of rehabilitating pro-Pakistani powers using the military for personal gain and using religion as a shield. On the other hand, the political development of Bangladesh Awami League took place through the eternal struggle for the rights of the people. State wealth in post-war Bangladesh was almost nil. Again, after the Liberation War, the defeated local and foreign conspirators were always trying to revenge the defeat. Despite all the odds, the Bangabandhu government quickly restructured the administration, drafted the first constitution of independent Bangladesh in 1972, resettled one crore people, developed communication systems, expanded the education system, provided free textbooks for students up to primary school and at a nominal cost up to secondary school, discouraged anti-Islamic activities including alcohol, gambling and horse racing, established Islamic Foundation, reorganized Madrasa education, nationalized 40,000 primary schools, including newly-built 11,000 ones, arranged rehabilitation for freedom fighters and women abused and tortured by Pakistani forces during the Liberation War, waived taxes of land up to 25 bighas, reduced cost of agricultural equipment for farmers, employed thousands of workers through the nationalization and commissioning of banks, insurance, and 580 industrial units abandoned by Pakistanis, and thus laid the foundation for a happy and prosperous Bangladesh. The recognition from a significant number of states in a very short time was also a success for the Bangabandhu government.

However, Bengali's greatest loss is that Bangabandhu did not get enough time to build up the country. After the killing of Bangabandhu's family on August 15, 1975, and the four national leaders who were loyal companions of Bangabandhu in November of the same year, the defeated forces were trying to wipe out the Awami League leaders and activists and the spirit of the Bangladesh Awami League from the country in that turbulent period. The process of distorting and erasing the spirit of the Liberation War under state patronage was going on by releasing the Razakars arrested under Dalal Act, killing one after another in seizing state power, making anti-independent people ministers and prime ministers, sheltering communalism, and adopting the aid-dependent financial system.

In such a miserable political context in 1981, the Awami League leaders unanimously assigned the responsibility of Bangladesh Awami League president to the popular leader Sheikh Hasina. Since then Bangladesh Awami League has been working unitedly for the welfare of the country and the people under the leadership of Bangabandhu's daughter Sheikh Hasina. Uniting and organizing the dilapidated Awami League after the assassination of Bangabandhu, she was successful in the movement to overthrow the military ruler, brought the party to power after twenty-one years in 1996, annulled the infamous 'Indemnity Ordinance' that had protected killers of Bangabandhu and started the trial of the killers, framed peace accord in Chattagram hill tracts, signed Ganga-Padma Water Sharing treaty, took diplomatic initiative for recognizing 21st February of 1952 as International Mother Language Day to promote multilingualism by UNESCO, and thus created a strong foundation for the country's development in the 20th century.

Conspirators and people hunkering after power repeatedly tried to wipe out the Bangladesh Awami League from the history of Bangladesh. From 1981 until now, the people's leader Sheikh Hasina has survived nineteen assassination attempts. The deadliest attack in history was on August 21, 2004, when all the top Awami League leaders, including the leader Sheikh Hasina, were attacked with grenades at a public rally of Bangladesh Awami League. The assassins wanted to kill all the top Awami League leaders together with Sheikh Hasina on that day and wipe out Bangladesh Awami League forever from the soil and people of Bengal. Practically during the entire period of 2001-2006, Awami League was repeatedly attacked. At this time, Gazipur's popular leader Ahsanullah Master MP, former finance minister Shah MS Kibria MP, former women's affairs secretary of Awami League Ivy Rahman, and many other leaders and activists were killed. Dhaka's first mayor, Md Hanif, who was seriously injured in the August 21 grenade attack, later died. Despite repeated assassination plots, Sheikh Hasina and Bangladesh Awami League have always remained steadfast in the welfare of the country and the people.

At the beginning of the 21st century, Bangladesh was almost going to become a failed state due to terrorism, militancy, the humiliation of freedom fighters by the Rajakars, corruption, economic distress, unemployment, and severe power shortage. In such a situation, the Bangladesh Awami League of People's Leader Sheikh Hasina came to power for the second time by adopting the 'Dinbadaler Sanad [Charter for Change]' as an election manifesto with the promise of economic emancipation, mitigating the power crisis, eradicating militancy, prosecuting war criminals, and building a digital Bangladesh. Since then, Sheikh Hasina, who became more and more mature through her enduring attacks, prisons, oppression and torture, continues to lead the progress of Bangladesh successfully. Bangladesh has already been recognized as a role model for development in the world for  its continuous successes in: Combating all militants including Bangla Bhai of JMB and Neo-JMB, and Huji who established reign of terror across the country; Bringing the war criminals, rajakars, Al-badar members of 1971 by foiling all domestic and foreign conspiracies; Conquest of a maritime border of roughly the same size (1,31,098 sq km) of Bangladesh through peaceful settlement of disputes with India and Myanmar; Acquisition of 10050.61 acres of land through enclave exchange with India; Building Digital Bangladesh; 100 percent electrification of the country by solving the power deficit through massive increase in power generation; Construction of the Padma Bridge under own technical and financial management thwarting all international intrigues; Construction of Metrorail; Building model community clinics to bring primary healthcare to people's doorsteps (this model has been referred to by world leaders as the 'Sheikh Hasina Initiative'); Construction of Dhaka-Chittagong four-lane highway and Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant Project; Taking effective initiatives to meet the growing demand of electricity through coal-based Payra and Rampal Thermal Power Stations, Matarbari Thermal Power Project using ultra super critical technology; Adoption and implementation of technology-based agro-friendly policies; Launching Bangabandhu-1 satellite; Construction of Marine Drive in Cox's Bazar; Construction of elevated expressways, Karnaphuli Tunnel and 560 model mosques at upazila level; Giving certificate of hadeeth in Dawara as master's degree status; Rehabilitating landless and homeless families and making them self-reliant through the shelter project known as the 'Sheikh Hasina Model of Inclusive Development'; Implementation of other social security schemes including providing monthly allowance to 5 crore people (poor pregnant mothers, elderly people, widows and victims, physically challenged students and tea workers) with the aim of building a country free from hunger and poverty; Initiating Vulnerable Women Development (VGD) programmes and micro-credit programs for women for women's empowerment and gender equality in socio-economic and political spheres; Formation of Climate Change Trust and allocation of funds for environmental protection activities; Implementation of education support programs (school feeding programs to bring 100% of school going students to school and prevent dropouts, distribution of new textbooks to school students on the first day of the year, ensuring multimedia and internet connectivity in classrooms for IT-based education); Establishment of Sheikh Russell Digital Lab in 9001 educational institutions across the country; Providing 60 public-private online services through Union Digital Center; Publication of BCS exam circulars almost every year and completion of regular recruitment process; Creation of employment opportunities for about 20 lakh youth in information technology sector; Stopping recruitment trade in primary and MPO-affiliated educational institutions and other government jobs; Modernization of armed forces including purchase of two submarines to ensure state sovereignty; Launching 5G internet services; Construction of modern silos for storage of food grains; Construction of Four lane plus two service lane highway construction project from Dhaka to North Bengal; and Construction of Payra Seaport and Matarbari deep seaport project. In addition, the success of the Awami League government of People's Leader Sheikh Hasina in maintaining the economic growth of Bangladesh at around 7% during the challenging times caused by the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war situation globally, has been widely appreciated.

The Awami League government under the leadership of People's Leader Sheikh Hasina has committed to ending extreme poverty and transitioning to an upper-middle-income country by 2031 and transition to a high-income (per capita income above $12,500) country by 2041 by launching ‘Vision 2041: Visionary Plan for Bangladesh' 2021-2041' for sustainable and inclusive development. To fulfil the dreams of the people of Bangladesh, this master plan includes good governance, human development, industry and trade, sustainable agriculture to ensure nutrition and food security, sustainable electricity and energy, information and communication technology, the fourth industrial revolution, environment and climate change management, green economy, including annual economic development.

Bangladesh Awami League also adopted plans, namely “Vision 2041”; "Delta Plan-2100" or "Delta Plan-2100" for dealing with natural disasters and global climate change effect, transitioning to a developed nation or climbing to a higher level of prosperity and building a safe, climate change resilient and prosperous delta through improved water management, use of renewable energy and other preventive measures. The Delta Plan divides Bangladesh into six hotspots and formulates a medium-term agenda up to 2050 and highlights the long-term agenda beyond 2050. It is particularly noteworthy that the other political parties in Bangladesh do not have a visionary or researched long-term plan like the Bangladesh Awami League.

Under the leadership of People's Leader Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh is now moving forward on the highway of progress. However, just as the Mirzafar and Ghosheti Begum along with British servants destroyed the independence of Bengal in the Middle Ages, so in the 21st century - domestic and foreign conspirators are always trying to destroy the image of Bangladesh through communal incitement, conspiracies, arson, terrorism and hiring lobbyists to disrupt the progress of the people of this country and serve their interests. For example, last May, a letter signed by six congressmen was sent to the Biden administration in the United States, in which Sheikh Hasina falsely blamed the government for the destruction of communal harmony by torture, looting, and killings of the minority communities (Hindu, Christian, Buddhist) in Bangladesh. Besides, the members of the security forces of Bangladesh work with a reputation in the global UN peacekeeping mission, but Human Rights Watch has recently made baseless and purposeful demands for the scrutiny of human rights issues in their appointment as peacekeepers. Even against members of the security forces, the organization spreads fabricated and inflammatory statements like the torture of Rohingya refugees. BNP-Jamaat and domestic agents of foreign intelligence agencies, smugglers, and their hired lobbyists, various evil forces are jealous of Bangladesh's socioeconomic progress and peace-loving foreign policy and are engaged in multi-faceted intrigues.

Therefore, to resist all evil forces, united efforts of all people are needed to build a developed, smart Bangladesh through the implementation of Vision 2041 and Delta Plan through honesty, courage, hard work, smart foresight, and good governance. It should be remembered that independent Bangladesh would have been unimaginable without the contribution of Bangabandhu, similarly, if the Bangladesh Awami League led by leader Sheikh Hasina had not won the 2008 parliamentary elections, it would not have been possible to implement the verdict of the Bangabandhu assassination trial, start the trial of war criminals and start the campaign to build a digital Bangladesh. If we did not win the 2014 national elections, it would not have been possible to complete the trial of the war criminals. Similarly, most of the mega projects including Padma Bridge, and Metro Rail would not have seen the light of day if they had not won the 2018 elections. Therefore, there is no alternative to make Bangladesh Awami League victorious in the upcoming 12th national parliamentary elections for the sake of building a science-based advanced, smart Bangladesh by 2041. Because during the election year, no other political party could present their specific future action plans to the people of the country for the progress of the country. Honourable Prime Minister rightly said in the budget session of the fiscal year 2023-2024, "Show us one person who can take the country forward."

In fact, on the one hand, we lost everything in the battle of Palashi on June 23 and became destitute. On the other hand, on June 23, with the establishment of the Bangladesh Awami League, we started the journey towards achievements.

The unlucky Bengali nation indeed lost its way once by losing Bangabandhu, but everyone should keep a watchful eye so that Bangladesh's triumphant journey which started under the steel-strong leadership of People's Leader Sheikh Hasina should not be hindered again. Therefore, June 23 is no longer a day of subjugation, but a universal celebration as the beginning of the journey towards victory, achieving independence and progress of the Bengali nation through the birth of the People's Party - Bangladesh Awami League.

Writers:

1) Eng. Md. Tanvir Hasan Talash, Nuclear scientist and former Cambridge scholar

2) Eng. Md. Abu Hasan Shahriar, MCIPS, Organizing Secretary, Bangabandhu Engineering Council (PetroBangla & Companies Unit)