State antagonising word ‘indigenous’

Lawmaker Rashed Khan Menon, also president of Bangladesh Workers Party, alleged that the state is now active to stop people from uttering the word "indigenous".

Menon was speaking as chief guest at a rally organised by the national committee for marking the 39th anniversary of Manabendra Narayan Larma's martyrdom on Faculty of Fine Arts premises of Dhaka University yesterday.

Blaming the lack of political will of those in power to resolve the crisis in Chattogram Hill Tracts (CHT), Menon said, "Despite MN Larma's protest, there was no recognition of the indigenous people in the constitution."

"The state seems to have an antagonistic relationship with the word 'indigenous'. The state is afraid to utter the word and is active to suppress it," he alleged.

Referring to the conspiracy against the hill people, the seasoned leftist politician said due to settlers, the demography has changed there. which can be seen in the recent census.

Ruhin Hossain Prince, general secretary of Bangladesh Communist Party, said MN Larma always articulated the emancipation of the working class, peasants, and the oppressed to establish a society free of inequality.

"We know what happens in CHT. The atmosphere of fear is still prevalent there. There is no reflection of the peace treaty," Ruhin added.

He also underscored the need for unity between the indigenous people and the people of the plains.

Prof Mesbah Kamal of Dhaka University's history department chaired the programme, in which leaders from various political parties delivered speeches.