Bangabandhu's enduring legacy
In this month of mourning, we need to re-evaluate Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's overwhelming presence in our history as the leader of the Bengali nationalist movement that culminated in our War of Liberation and the glorious independence of Bangladesh.
In 1947, Bangabandhu returned from Kolkata where as a student leader he had been involved with the movement that led to the partition of India and the creation of Pakistan. Within a year of the birth of Pakistan, the young Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had the foresight to realise that the state of Pakistan would never bring freedom in its true sense to the Bengalis of the then East Pakistan.
When in 1948 the founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, unequivocally declared in his speech to the students of Dhaka University that Urdu alone would be the state language of Pakistan, the educated Bengali middle class could well foresee the status of the Bengalis in the newly created Pakistan.
It was from this time that Bangabandhu began to shape himself as the future leader of a nation. His political mentor, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, was also disillusioned as were many of the political leaders who had supported the creation of Pakistan.
After the Language Movement of 1952, it became absolutely transparent as to what would eventually happen to the people of this land.
Of course, even when the Awami Muslim League metamorphosed into the secular Awami League, there was no open debate on the necessity of breaking out of Pakistan and forming a new country that would meet all demands of the Bengali people. There were some leaders, mostly students, who had this latent dream of creating a country of their own. This was a well-guarded secret because the time was not yet appropriate for demanding independence.
Once Ayub Khan imposed martial law and started repressing the people more than ever before, the Bengali middle class started to unite under the leadership of the Awami League. People throughout East Pakistan got increasingly involved in the demand for greater autonomy and an end to the economic exploitation.
When Bangabandhu was arrested in the Agartala Conspiracy Case, the unity of the people to free him from incarceration started a new phase in the life of Bangabandhu who at this stage was clearly the most influential leader of the Bengalis. When he was freed from imprisonment, even Ayub Khan could understand Sheikh Mujib's unprecedented popularity among the Bengalis.
Ayub Khan after ruling Pakistan for ten years was ousted by mass movements that took place in both wings of Pakistan. For the Bengalis, this created a new opportunity under the towering leadership of Bangabandhu who had by now surpassed in terms of popularity, all other political leaders of East Pakistan.
The leftwing politicians of the time were honest, patriotic, and pro-people; however, they were not able to go as close to the heart of the masses as could Bangabandhu's Awami League. He and his party represented middle-class values but were very sensitive as well to the plight of the downtrodden.
When the military dictator Yahya Khan announced the date for the general elections in Pakistan, to take place in 1970, Bangabandhu without spending much time decided to take part in the elections and seek a mandate for his six-point formula. Many of the leftwing politicians were opposed to participating in the elections, which were to be held under a legal framework order (LFO) enforced by General Yahya Khan. Political parties participating in the elections were required to follow the LFO. There were many sceptics who thought the LFO would in the end not allow the Awami League to implement its six points even if it won an absolute majority in the ensuing elections.
When Bangabandhu was touring every district of East Pakistan appealing to the masses to support him in the elections so that he could change the fate of the Bengalis, it became clear as to who was the singular leader of the Bengali people.
Bangabandhu had first-rate political colleagues such as Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmed, Quamruzzaman and Monsur Ali. They were all extremely talented people with maturity and political sagacity. Their patriotism and love for the people were genuine; but it was Bangabandhu who they regarded as their indisputable leader.
After Bangabandhu and his Awami League won the 1970 general elections, it was obvious that Yahya and his military cohorts along with ZA Bhutto, the leader of the Pakistan People's Party, would start conspiring to keep away the Bengalis from power. This was when Bangabandhu realised that the Bengalis should come out of Pakistan and form their own nation-state.
Bangabandhu was arrested at the very start of the Pakistan Army's genocidal action on the innocent Bengalis in the evening of March 25, 1971. And during the entire nine-month War of Liberation, Bangabandhu was incarcerated in a Pakistani jail. The freedom fighters and the people of Bangladesh who were trapped in their own homeland were inspired by only one name, and that was Sheikh Mujib's.
Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmed and the other leaders of the Bangladesh government-in-exile served the nation at this crucial time with utmost patriotism. Throughout the War of Liberation and after the liberation of Bangladesh on December 16, 1971, Bangabandhu's name cast a magic spell on the people of Bangladesh and their friends across the world.
Bangabandhu is the founder of Bangladesh, he is the Father of the Nation, and there is simply no scope to put him at par with other leaders who had also fought for the independence of Bangladesh.
Golam Sarwar Chowdhury teaches English at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB).
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