Lakho Konthe Exposed: Episode 5, Bangabandhu, Bangabandhu Everywhere

The Lakho Konthe program may be history for now, but it highlights something important. The issue at hand is the politics of reinforcement of a historical perspective. Solely trying to associate Sheikh Mujib with the occasion of March 26 1971, the Independence Day of Bangladesh (as in the case of the Lakho Konthe occasion), and also other national days is in itself not a crime. The crime is the obliteration of the names and signs of the other contributors to the history of Bangladesh, namely people like Maulana Bhashani, MAG Osmani and President Ziaur Rahman among countless others.

Lakho Konthe stage prominently featuring Sheikh Mujib

If Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman deserves this amount of representation due to a fiery speech on the 7th of March 1971, then the others deserve loads more for what they did for the country around the same time. And I’m NOT bringing into the equation how Sheikh Mujib verifiably screwed up the nascent country called Bangladesh during his governance post 1971.    

Lakho Konthe singing stage with nothing but a big fat slice of Sheikh Mujib

The Lakho Konthe guest stand and the singing stage was filled with huge pictures of Bangabandhu, while the sea of people hummed to the tunes of the national anthem with a picture of Bangabandhu imprinted on their caps. Even the program ended with the customary slogan of “Joy Bangla, Joy Bangabandhu”.

The caps at the Lakho Konthe event. Its all about the Pa of the nation.

Some may shirk it off as a simple political event, but the fact remains that around 300,000 people attended the program, a feat in itself. Spending time and money in sending a message to 300,000 people is no isolated feat, it’s a deliberate attempt at modifying and superimposing a deliberate version of history.

Not an isolated feat:

The nefariously intentioned pictures of Sheikh Mujib are not just occasional appearances in television and road signs, they are plastered everywhere. One such widely seen example is the face of Sheikh Mujib on the currency notes. Although faces of the father of the nation on currency notes is nothing much to be go gaga about given the fact that the Awami League has been in power for half a decade now, the fact that his is the only face that is found on all notes except the 1 taka note is something to be wary of, given the fact that not another single leader is featured in this regard. The simple question remains. Are we not justified in claiming that this is a deliberate attempt at distorting history?

Below are images of the various denominations of the taka notes (the full set, I may add), all featuring Sheikh Mujib.

Absolutely not an isolated feat:

On December 14 2009, the cabinet led by Sheikh Hasina at its weekly meeting on December 14, agreed in principle to change the name of the country's main airport from Zia International Airport and rename it after the great saint Hazrat Shahjalal (RA). A decision also was made to rename those institutions and installations whose names were changed following the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujior Rahman in 1975.  

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who presided over the meeting, was requested by the Awami League General Secretary and LGRD Minister Syed Ashraful Islam to change the name of Zia International Airport. The prime minister asked all present to propose the new name and the name of Hazrat Shahjalal (RA) was approved. The cost of the renaming operation cost the nation 1400 crore taka.

Past examples show us that the successive governments led by AL have renamed the Institute of Post Graduate Studies in Agriculture at Gazipur as Bangabandhu Agricultural University in 1996, the PG Hospital as Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Jamuna bridge to Bangabandhu Bridge, Bhashani Novo theatre to Bangabandhu Novo theatre and have most recently renamed the Bangladesh-China Friendship Convention Centre as the Bangabandhu Convention Centre.

It is mentionable that the BNP initiated a few changes as well, such as changing the Ershad Army stadium to Army stadium, the Chittagong airport (initially named after M.A. Hannan) to Shah Amanat Airport and the Chandrima Uddyan to Zia Uddyan. The name changes by the BNP when it was in power stem from reactionary politics initiated by this aggressive stance by the AL when it was in power.

So be wary folks. Set aside those chetona sunglasses and open your eyes to how your history is being edited.

Shahbag bus incident was carried out by the Awami League: A case study

The nation was rendered shocked at the incident by which a bus at Shahbag was firebombed, leaving 3 bus passengers dead till date and rendering more than 18 passengers with severe burn injuries on the evening of Thursday the 28^th of November, 2013, the last day of the blockade program two weeks ago. The incident was blamed on the opposition by the government, and the smear campaign by government affiliated media (which sadly includes about 90% of the currently operational print and television media) that followed was intense to the point that people were force fed the fact that this was a work of the opposition. However, details have begun emerging, which not only question the prevalent assumptions of who were behind this attack, but point strong fingers at government involvement as well. Let us examine some of them:

1.     The bus service that was affected in the arson attack was the “Bihanga Paribahan” , which belongs to Pankaj Devnath, a leading Awamileague leader. Now one may ask, so what if Pankaj Devnath is a leading Awami League leader? There is strong evidence to suggest that Pankaj Devnath may have collaborated with Awami League cadres to have his own bus set on fire. Right after the arson attack, Pankaj Devnath, the General Secretary of Sweccha Shebok League, an affiliate organization of the Awami League, was declared the Awami League candidate for the Barisal-4 constituency, replacing the previous Awami League candidate Saidul Islam, the AL President of the Mehengonj in Barisal. Was this some kind of reward?

1. The same Bihanga Paribahan has been accused in a previous incident where a bus of the service ran into Khaleda Zia’s vehicle. This is a link of that incident in Bangla.

3.     Despite the presence of heavy police patrol, no one was caught from the premises of the incident that day. It is mentionable that police were present at eight points around the incident area-  in front of the Press Club, roundabout in front of National Eidgah, in front of the Foreign Ministry, Ramna Gate beside Motsho Bhaban, in front of the Engineers Institute, in front of the Shishu Park and at the Shahbag intersection. Police were of course, also present at Shahbag Police Station. They were positioned such that it would take less than a minute for the police force to reach the spot of the arson attack. Yet they were unable to do. 

4.     Strong evidence points to the involvement of the Nanak-Azam outfit. One of the people who petrol bombed the bus was identified as Jubo League cadre Masud, a close associate of Jahangir Kabir Nanak. Rasheda, a passenger of that bus, was a witness to the above claim. A resident of 16 no. slum at Adabor, Rasheda is a cleaner at a pathological lab in Dhaka. Her mobile number is 01818069026. Rasheda informed that due to previous acquaintance, she had witnessed Masud throwing a petrol bomb at the bus and that she had informed the police.  A reporter of a popular television channel had confirmed that Rasheda had narrated this incident to him in an interview. However police were found to back off from further investigation of the matter after getting wind of the involvement of AL leader Nanak. Instead, high level BNP leaders were accused and implicated, leaving no room to imagination on whether this was anything but a well planned government conspiracy.

Add to this mix up recent news of Ruling Awami League leaders Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Mirza Azam have been cleared of all charges over a 2004 arson case in which 11 were killed. Notice the timing.  It is just at this moment as if the government wants everyone to know that these two are certified ‘good politicians’. All this despite videos leaked some time ago where veteran politician Obaidul Kader confesses to the guilt of the Awami League in the bus arson incident and the involvement of Sheikh Hasina herself along with the Juboleague top brass.