Bangabandhu : The portrait of a revolutionary leader

Dr. Md. Shairul Mashreque and Dr. M Abul Kashem Mozumder :
We have a glorious history of insurgence spearheaded by the heroic roles of leaders organizing the peasant and other working forces to upset the oppressive regimes. We remember them with a profound sense of respect taking part in different phases of the history of freedom movement. All the significant events created a platform for revolution for self-determination and Bangabandhu contributed a new height to it. The country by the name Bangladesh would never appear in global map had Bangabandhu not mobilized the Bengalis as countervailing force against cultural subjugation and ruthless economic exploitation. He masterminded the dream of an independent state of nation shaping all the configurations of history and culture. Right from the inception of Pakistan he set the tone of Bengali nationalism that ultimately inspired the people for spontaneous participation in liberation war. All the movements like language movement and six point movement developed against step motherly attitude of the central government during Pakistan period were well organized and Mujib was the main force conscientizing the masses for parity and justice.
The historic 7th March speech is in fact a clarion call of Bangabandhu. Bangabandhu called mass attention for preparation for liberation war. ‘Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman calling upon the Bangalees to prepare for the war to liberate Bangladesh from the exploitative Pakistani regime. The hallmark of his speech was “Ebarer Sangram Amader Muktir Sangram, Ebarer Sangram Swadhinatar Sangram (this struggle is for our freedom, this struggle is for independence),’ Bangabandhu declared from a mammoth rally at the historic Racecourse Maidan (now Suhrawardy Udyan) on this day in 1971. In his speech, resembling US President Abraham Lincoln’s historic Gettysburg speech, Bangabandhu said, “Since we have learnt to give blood, we’ll give more blood. We’ll definitely liberate the country, Insha Allah … Turn every house into a fort and counter [the enemy] with whatever you have. “He called for waging guerrilla warfare against the tyranny, deprivation, exploitation and savagery of the Pakistani dictators.’ As the New Nation observed “The dynamic speech had virtually changed the course of the country’s glorious history. People of all ages and backgrounds rose in revolt against the Pakistani hyenas and their local collaborators and waged guerrilla warfare.”
 “Notwithstanding the deliberate distortions of our political history over a period of almost thirty years, the fact remains that the six-point movement is a milestone in the history of our struggle for independence. East Pakistanis were left to their fate, without military defence and security, while the Pakistani rulers kept themselves busy in defending the West Pakistani frontiers. In this backdrop, soon after the end of the War, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman raised the historic 6-point demand, a charter for the economic emancipation from the exploitative Pakistani colonial state-system.”(Aminul Islam wwwrisingbd.com) The movement for six-point was launched for “removing disparity between the two wings of Pakistan and to put an end to the internal colonial rule of West Pakistan in East Bengal. The Indo-Pak War of 1965 ended with the execution of Taskent Treaty. To the old grievances of economic disparity added the complain of negligence and indifference of central government towards the defence of East Pakistan. Bangabandhu sheikh mujibur rahman was vocal on this issue.” “The leaders of the opposition parties of West Pakistan convened a national convention at Lahore on 6 February 1966 with a view to ascertain the post-Taskent political trend. Bangabandhu reached Lahore on 4 February along with the top leaders of Awami League, and the day following he placed the Six-point charter of demand before the subject committee as the demands of the people of East Pakistan. He created pressure to include his proposal in the agenda of the conference. The subject committee rejected the proposal of Bangabandhu.
On the day following, the newspapers of West Pakistan published reports on the Six-point Programme, and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was projected as a separatist. Consequently Sheikh Mujib abandoned the conference. The Six-point Programme along with a proposal of movement for the realisation of the demands was placed before the meeting of the working committee of Awami League on 21 February 1966, and the proposal was carried out unanimously. A booklet on the Six-point Programme with introduction from Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Tajuddin Ahmad was published. Another booklet titled Amader Banchar Dabi: 6-dafa Karmasuchi (Our demands for existence: 6-points Programme) was published in the name of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and was distributed in the council meeting of Awami League held on 18 March 1966.”(Banglapedia).  
The six point charter same as magma chater catalyzed massive popular support across the country It was recognized as the definitive gambit for autonomy and rights of Bengalis. It was tetrmed by the radical leaders in the then pakistan as a veiled secession. Mujib was all out to conduct advocacy campaign for the movement mobilizing supports from all sections irrespective of religion, creed and caste. The demand exclusively for the people of East Bengal alienated West Pakistanis including non-Bengalis and Muslim fundamentalists. Mujib was arrested by the army and after two years in jail, an official sedition trial in a military court opened. Widely known as the Agartala Conspiracy Case, Mujib and 34 Bengali military officers were accused by the government of colluding with Indian government agents in a scheme to divide Pakistan and threaten its unity, order and national security. The plot was alleged to have been planned in the city of Agartala in the Indian state of Tripura The outcry and unrest over Mujib’s arrest and the charge of sedition against him destabilized East Pakistan amidst large protests and strikes. Various Bengali political and student groups added demands to address the issues of students, workers and the poor, forming a larger “11-point plan.” The West Pakistani politicians and the military began to see him as a revolutionary and separatist leader. His assertion of Bengali cultural and ethnic identity also re-defined the debate over regional autonomy. Many scholars and observers believed the Bengali agitation emphasised the rejection of the Two-Nation Theory – the case upon which Pakistan had been created – by asserting the ethno-cultural identity of Bengalis as a nation. Mujib was able to galvanise support throughout East Pakistan, which was home to a majority of the national population, thus making him one of the most powerful political figures in the subcontinent.
It was following his 6-point plan that Mujib was increasingly referred to by his supporters as “BangabandhuSix-point movement is observed as a milestone in our history of liberation. Six-point movement is observed as a milestone in our history of liberation.
Mujib was a world leader compared to Mahatma, Nelson Mandela, Mao Tse Tung who changed the course of history leading their people to freedom. ‘In the thousand year of history of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujib is the only leader who has, in terms of blood, race, language , culture and birth, been a full blooded Bengali. His physical stature was immense; his voice was redolent of thunder. His charisma worked magic on people. The courage and charm that flowed from him made him a unique superman in these times (Cyril Dunn cited in Raihana Akhter 138)
To put it in the words of Che Guevara: “The decisive moment in a man’s life is when he decides to confront death. If he confronts it , he will be a hero whether he succeeds or not. He can be a good or bad politician. But if he does not confront death he will never be more than a politicin.”(cited in Raihana Akhter 2015: 138)
Bangabandhu was a symbolic reference for cult leadership with ever-remembering revolutionary image. Shaikh Mujib fought for freedom forming a new nation for the Bangalees. What actually did happen after the independcence it was definitely because of some structural contradictions and adverse impacts of the colonial and semi-colonial values deep rooted in our adminstrative culture. Even then Bangabandhu by creating a new country set the platform for emancipation of the mass of peasants.
Had there been not a great patriot like Bangabandhu there would have been no platform for the development of Bengali nationalism. The rising consciousness of the toiling masses about their political rights, cultural freedom and economic emancipation free from exploitation was a real force behind rising militancy of autonomy movement with Mujib playing a sheet anchor role. He spent almost the life-long time in imprisonment for a marathon trail of struggle against palace politics, semi-colonial rule, cultural indoctrination and use of religion to political advantage.
No single leader had bothered about just share of the then East Pakistanis in public service, military establishment and development than Bangabandhu Shaikh Mujibur Rahman. He never negotiated with military junta who decapitated democracy with ethnocentric predisposition to deny Bangalees’ access to power in a federal state based on flimsy foundation. The words ‘compromise’ and ‘equation’ were unknown in his dictionary. For this uncompromising attitude altogether with daunting courage Mujib became the target of the ruling coterie who put him to jail several times
Bangabandhu proceeded through fire and water with his political ideology and Bangalee friendly political agenda. He organized Bangalees into a countervailing force against step motherly policy behavior of the central government. He fought against colonial treatment, political subjugation, discrimination and segmented economic growth. In fact he rose to the occasion to rid the then East Bengal of all the evils of misgovernance that left its citizens in the state of despondency and frustration. The exploited masses rallied behind him who spearheaded the movement for self-determination.
When we remember Mujib we go back to the stormy days of mass agitation that unnerved each successive ruling regime responsible for distorting political institutions. Mujib did all necessary ground works since 1948 creating a host of historic moments that in the long run turned into Bangladesh movement. Six-point formula was a magna carter of the people of this land orchestrating their political rights, cultural freedom and emancipation from the onslaught of the semblance of colonial exploitation. Six-point being identified with Bengali sentiment was a real force behind rising militancy of movement for a separate homeland.
Standing antagonistic relations with the Punjabi dominated civil-military bureaucracy who used religion as an instrument of manipulation Bangabandhu took a leading role in championing the cause of the backward ethno-linguistic sub-nationals. He was not against Punjabis but against regionally dominant power and uneven economic growth.
(Dr. Md. Shairul Mashreque, Public Administration, Chittagong University and Dr. M Abul Kashem Mozumder, Member PSC)