‘Bangamata considered AL as her own family’

City Desk :

Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib considered the Awami League, the party that led the country’s Liberation War, as her own family until her death and she used to make her all-out strides to extend cooperation to the AL leaders and workers.

“Whenever Bangabandhu had to stay in jail, Bangamata looked after both her own family and the Awami League family (party),” eminent academician Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique told BSS.

He said: “How did Bangamata extend her cooperation? It is not like that Bangamata is a landlord.

It is also not like that Bangabandhu is in jail . . . he had a lot of money and wealth and Bangamata will spend it for maintaining her family.”

“So, Bangamata used to save some money in small amounts and spent those for looking after two families-her own family and Awami League,” he added, reports BSS.

Prof Arefin, also Dhaka University former vice-chancellor, said when Bangamata had no savings in her hand, she even sold furniture like almirah and refrigerator to run her family and her greater family – Awami League.

“As Bangabandhu used to provide assistances to Awami League workers when he stayed out of jail, in the same way when he had to stay in jail, Awami League leaders and workers used to come to Bangamata and she extended cooperation to them as much she could,” he added.

Prof Arefin said there was not a single day when AL leaders and workers could leave Bangabandhu’s residence without taking meals but sometimes it happened that there was shortage of food in his own residence.

He said Bangabandhu’s daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in her reminiscences about her mother at different times mentioned that AL workers from different levels came to their residence and took meals.

“At times, it was seen that there was shortage of food at home as the guests were much more compared to the remaining food.