On the occasion of the 75th founding anniversary of the ruling party Bangladesh Awami League’s platinum anniversary party chief, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has paid tribute to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. On Sunday 7am she placed a wreath at the mural of Bangabandhu in Dhanmondi Road No. 32.
Accompanied by top Awami League leaders Hasina paid her respects twice, first as the prime minister and then as the party’s president,.
The national flag and party flag were hoisted at sunrise at the party’s central office and all of its offices across the country on the occasion of the Awami League’s platinum anniversary.
A delegation of the central executive committee of the Awami League also paid their homage at the mausoleum of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in Gopalganj’s Tungipara at 10:30am.
The ruling party are celebrating the day by inaugurating several program hoisting national and party flags, singing the national anthem, and releasing pigeons. The main program will start at 3pm at the Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital Dhaka, in where a discussion and cultural event at 3:30pm. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will preside over the event and will be joined by the leaders and activists of the Awami League.
On June 23, 1949, the party was founded ‘East Pakistan Awami Muslim League’ by the likes of Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, Shamsul Haque and Ataur Rahman Khan. The word “Muslim” was dropped from its name in 1955,to make the party more pluralistic and non-communal, then it was renamed Awami League.
Awami League played key roles in the Language Movement in 1952, Jukta Front election in 1954, anti-Ayub movement, Education Movement in 1962, Six-Point Movement in 1966, and the students’ 11-point movement in 1969, and thus came out as the most authentic voice of the people.
Following an ideological conflicts between Suhrawardy and Bhashani in the late 50s the AL faced a crisis. In the early 60s, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, popular among students emerged as a promising leader. Under his leadership, Bangladesh went on to become independent.
After August 15, 1975, when its supreme leader Bangabandhu and most of his family members were killed the AL faced an existential crisis. Sheikh Hasina, Bangabandhu’s elder daughter was on abroad at that time.
After she returned home in 1981 taken over the leadership and rebuilt the party. Since then she has been leading the organization for 43 years as its longest serving chief. Under her leadership, the party has assumed power in the country five times.
After coming to power in 2008, the Awami League began prosecuting individuals accused of involvement in crimes against humanity during the 1971 liberation war. A number of political leaders were executed, including rank-and-file leaders of the opposition Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami and the main opposition BNP.
Besides, the achievements of Hasina’s government are unparalleled compared to those of any other government. However, some fundamental questions can still be raised as the AL turns 75 today.
As AL celebrates its 75th founding anniversary, people expect that it will do justice to its name and gain strength to build a secular and democratic Bangladesh.
