AL to stay beside people: PM
Prime Minster Sheikh Hasina today greeted the countrymen and paid homage to the party's founders on the occasion of its 68th founding anniversary saying that AL would always stay beside the people as before.
"On this day I recall with respect the greatest Bengali of all time, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, . . . I recall with respect Awami League's founder president Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani and general secretary Shamsul Haque, I recall with respect Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy," she said in a statement issued to mark the anniversary.
Hasina, also the president of ruling Awami League, greeted the AL workers, leaders and supporters on the occasion alongside the countrymen.
She said the party would remain beside the people and turn the country into 'Sonar Bangla' as dreamt by the Father of the Nation.
"Awami League has a glorious role in every major achievement of the nation. Insha Allah (God willing), it will remain beside the people in future too, and turn the country into Sonar Bangla as envisioned by Father of the Nation," she said.
She said the unflinching dedication of the party's succeeding leaders and workers over the decades turned Awami League into a huge organization of mass people.
She recalled that the party was established on June 23, 1949 at "Rose Garden" on K M Das Lane in Dhaka and said the history of the AL is closely linked with the people's struggle for realizing their rights.
"The Language Movement in 1952, Jukta Front election in 1954, the anti-Ayub movement in 1962, restoration of peace after riots in 1964, six-point demand movement in 1966 and the mass upsurge in 1969- all took place under the leadership of the AL," she said.
In the general elections of 1970, the people of Bangladesh gave an absolute majority to the Awami League and in continuation Bangabandhu on March 7, 1971 declared that "The struggle now is for freedom, for independence," the prime minister mentioned.
She continued that on the Black Night of March 25, 1971, the Pakistani occupation forces swooped on the people and arrested Bangabandhu. Before his arrest, Bangabandhu had declared the country's independence using the then EPR wireless.
The country achieved independence on December 16, 1971 following the Liberation War conducted under the AL government formed in Mujibnagar on April 17.
After independence when Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was busy building the nation, the assassins killed Bangabandhu and his family on the fateful night of August 15 in 1975.
Subsequently on November 3, 1975 the four national leaders were killed in prison to make Awami League leaderless.
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