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AL celebrates 72nd founding anniv today


Published : 22 Jun 2021 09:44 PM | Updated : 23 Jun 2021 01:29 AM

Bangladesh Awami League (AL), one of the oldest and biggest political parties in Bangladesh, is considered to be the torchbearer of glorious history, heritage of all democratic movements and also the development of the nation.

The country gained its independence under the leadership of this oldest and biggest political party. 

Besides, Awami League is invariable and also an inseparable part of Bengali nation and the history of the party means the story of struggle and glory of the Bengali people.

The party is going to celebrate its 72nd foundation anniversary today.

Awami League (AL) is not only the country's oldest and biggest political party, rather it is the pioneer of democratic and non-communal spirit of this soil.

From the very beginning, Awami League has been leading the socio-political trend of the country amid different struggles and movements in the seven decades.

After the Liberation War, the party's leader Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Father of the Nation, began to build Bangladesh as a non-communal country.

Following the footprints of her father's ideology, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is taking ahead the country in an indomitable speed towards massive development and progress.

On June 23 in 1949, from a meeting of the supporters of Hussein Shaheed Suhrawardy at the Rose Garden of KM Das Lane, Old Dhaka, a new political party named Awami Muslim League was born.

Departing out from Muslim League, progressive leaders and workers formed Awami Muslim League.

It was the first opposition party in the then East Bengal (later renamed East Pakistan).

Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani and Shamsul Haq of Tangail became the party’s President and General Secretary respectively while Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was made Joint Secretary from the jail.

In a process of secularization, the word "Muslim" was later dropped from the name of the party.

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman came to limelight in the leadership of the party through the 1966 Council.

Later, he became the unparalleled leader of Bengali nation and architect of independent Bangladesh and Father of the Nation.

Awami League led the Mass Upsurge against the Pakistani occupied force in 1969, prompting it to join the Liberation War in 1971 to free the people from the centuries-old subordination.

After the assassination of Bangabandhu and most of his family members on August 15, 1975 and killing of four national leaders inside the Dhaka Central Jail on November 3 in the same year, Awami League became leaderless.

Bangabandhu's daughter Sheikh Hasina took the helm of Awami League after returning to the country in 1981.

She again united the party. She has been leading the party for three decades and formed the government three times side by side with waging different democratic movements.

After the independence, Awami League was in power around three and a half years before the assassination of Bangabandhu and five years from 1996 to 2001 under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina and since 2009 to present day.

After the defeat in the 2001 general election, Awami League waged a successful movement against the then BNP-Jamaat led alliance government.

In 2007, the military-backed caretaker government declared a state of emergency. Awami League President Sheikh Hasina and top leaders of the party were arrested. As a result, the party was in crisis in this period.

But, overcoming all hurdles and hostilities, Awami League and grand alliance under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina gained a landslide victory on December 29, 2008 in the national election.

On January 6, 2009, a grand alliance led by Awami League, formed the government.

Sheikh Hasina became the prime minister for the third time when Awami League formed the government after winning the January 5, 2014 general elections.

In the general election on December 30 in 2018, the people of Bangladesh again gave their absolute mandate to the Awami League to form a government for a record third straight term. Awami League President Sheikh Hasina became the prime minister for the fourth time and third in a row.

As per the electoral pledges, Awami League government has been working relentlessly to build a poverty and hunger free, advanced and ICT- based, prosperous Bangladesh and thus turn the country into a developed one by 2041.

Programmes today

Party sources said that considering the prevalence of COVID-19 pandemic, this year the founding anniversary will be celebrated to a limited extent in compliance with health rules. Most of the programmes will be held virtually.

Born on 23 June 1949 in the historic Rose Garden at KM Das Lane of Old Dhaka, the Awami League is one of the oldest political parties in the subcontinent.  

Abdur Rahman, a Presidium Member of the Awami League, said that this year the founding anniversary will be celebrated to a limited extent in compliance with health safety rules and most of the programmes will be held virtually.

He said, “However, on that day, the party will pay homage to the portrait of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Dhanmondi at 9:00am am with flowers.  A discussion meeting will be held at the party’s central office at 23, Bangabandhu Avenue at 3:00pm. Awami League President Sheikh Hasina, also the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, will remain virtually present as the chief guest on the occasion.”

AFM Bahauddin Nasim, a Joint Secretary of Awami League, said alongside the party’s central committee, all the committees at the grass-root levels have also been asked to celebrate the party’s founding anniversary at a limited scale keeping the pandemic in the mind and in compliance with the health safety rules. 

“The founding anniversary ceremony will not be held in the traditional manner like in the past due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But we will try to arrange programmes at every level starting from the central to the union level. We will celebrate the functions using the virtual platforms,” he said.