Terming the ongoing campaign by the government against corruption laudable, President Md. Abdul Hamid has said, Bangladesh is failed to cope with corruption despite satisfactory economic growth and development of the country. “ It should be restrained, it should be stopped now, whoever it may be”, said President Abdul Hamid adding that everyone was now aware of the overall situation of the country. The present government has taken up a laudable step to eradicate corruption from the society.
“ I also think, this is a good and praiseworthy step. Our incumbent Prime Minister herself has said, she would start from her own house. Whatever be the identity as the partymen- Chhatra League, Jubo League or Awami League, no one will be spared if found guilty in corruption. I believe, if we could make the country free from more of less corruption, we would, no doubt, progress a lot, Insa Allah”, said President Abdul Hamid.
President Abdul Hamid was speaking as the chief guest at a function organised by Tarail Nagorik Committee at Tarail Muktijoddha Government College play ground on Wednesday afternoon.
Addressing the public representatives, President Abdul Hamid said, “Paying due respect to you, I would like to tell you that people voted you to power with great aspiration. You should behave gently with the people, listen to their problems and honour them as far as possible. It is not a good sign that soon after winning the election, your own character is revealed. You should behave with the people of your constituency in a manner that you behaved with them during election campaigning so that people become happy and pray for you”.
Commenting on his being entitled as “ Bhatir Shardul” ( Tiger/Leopard of the ebb-tidal region), President Abdul Hamid said, he is infested with a lot of memory of Tarail. He mentioned, he conducted his first public meeting in Tarail at Purura High School during the Student Movement turned to a Mass Movement( Upsurge) in 1969. Abdur Rashid of Purura High School came to him and proposed to hold a public meeting at Purura High School. Earlier we organised student meetings, not any public meeting.
Rashid then said, renowned political leader from Dhaka should be invited to attend and address the public meeting. It was then almost impossible that any leader from Dhaka would visit here to address any meeting during the mass movement of 1969. Mr. Mohiuddin was then the General Secretary of Awami League. "I took Rashid to Mr. Mohiuddin." He( Mohiuddin) told Rashid that why he was searching for a renowned leader when Hamid was there. Rashid asked him in which title he would call me, Mr. Mohiuddin said, no title will be required, the only name will be sufficient? “ If you rather wish to write any title, you would write ‘Future Minister’. "But I disagreed and said no such title would be written".
He ( Mr. Mohiuddin) then said, you chap, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is called the “Banga Shardul”(Leopard of Bangladesh). He was called as Banga Shardul when he did not get the title Bangabandhu. Your Tarail is a region of low tide and Hamid’s house is also at the low-tide region. He is the Leopard of Low Tide region.
Recalling the memory of that meeting, President Abdul Hamdi said, more than one lakh people assembled in that public meeting of Purura High School play ground. He himself had delivered speech at that meeting for a long two and a half hours. Afterwards of the meeting, people, even seniors were exchanging greetings with him addressing him as “ Bhatir Shardul”. “ Then I had no idea that I would contest the election in 1970. Whenever, I started campaigning for the’70’s election, the same title was mentioned in all my posters. I was not then even an Advocate.”
Regarding participation of the elections of 1970, President Abdul Hamid said, his electoral area consists of Itna, Ostogram, Nikli and Tarail police stations( thanas). He got the highest number of votes from Tarail. So, he said, he has an extra bond with Tarail which he will remember throughout his life. He got co-operation not only from Awami League but from all parties, he mentioned and said he was in Tarail to express his gratitude to the people of the region.
Presided over by Mujibul Haque Chunnu, Jatiya Party MP of Kishoreganj-3 constituency, the meeting was addressed, among others, by Afzal Hossain, MP of Kishoreganj-5, Rezwan Ahmed Toufique, son of the President and MP of Kishoreganj-4, Sarwar Miurshed Chowdhury, Deputy Commissioner, Masrukur Rahman Khaled, Superintendent of Police, Advocate Zillur Rahman, Chairman, Zila Parisahd, Advocate M.A. Afzal and Shah Azizul Haque, General Secetary and the Senior Joint Secretary of Awami League respectively, Zahurul Islam Bhuiya Shahi, Upazila Chairman and Gias Uddin Lucky, General Secretary of Upazila Awami League. The meeting was conducted by Azizul Haque Bhuiya Motahar, President of Tarail Upazila Awami League.