Mujibnagar Day

Today is the Mujibnagar Day. The day has historic significance not for many reasons but only for one reason – the day is the cornerstone of our independent Bangladesh – without which we couldn’t be what we are today. When the country, after March 26, brutal attack on innocent Bengalees, was at a loss, when Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had already been languishing in the jail of West Pakistan and when there was no center in the absence of Bangabandhu the country was badly in need of a leadership.

It was the Mujibnagar government that gave people the leadership. It gave direction to directionless people to organise the disorganised mass who were rendered rudderless and leaderless. The Mujibnagar government was formed on April 17 at the mango grove in Vaidyanathtala of Meherpur district. Now this place is best known as Mujibnagar named after the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Following the black night of March 26, almost all leaders either went into hiding or left the country for India. Although it was not obvious till then which way the country’s movement would go, the way to achieve the goal was taking shape in the minds of four leaders who were instrumental in the formation of the Mujibnagar government. The four leaders were Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmad, AHM Qamaruzzaman and Captain Mansur Ali.

After Tajuddin Ahmad had a talk with Indira Gandhi, he returned to the country and without any delay declared Bangladesh as a sovereign country on April 10. This government was officially sworn-in on April 17 paving the way for its demand of liberty as rightful and constitutional. It gave momentum to the liberation movement of the country as freedom loving people found a path to their liberation in the new government. The government was formed with Syed Nazrul Islam as its acting president in the absence of Bangabandhu, Tajuddin Ahmad as it prime minister. AHM Qamaruzzaman and Captain Mansur Ali were the cabinet members.

This government also gave legitimacy to the creation of Bangladesh in the eyes of the world which was an urgent necessity for the war to move on to its culmination. If this government had not been formed the movement for independence could have been termed a separatist movement in the eyes of people of the world. If this government had not been formed the Pakistani junta might have labeled it as a secessionist movement. In that case our liberation war could have been delayed. International support was very important and this government did that successfully making our freedom struggle legitimate in the eyes of the world.

Another very important role this government played and it was its control over the freedom fighters who had so far been conduction their battles in a sporadic and indiscipline manner in the absence of any central leadership. Before the formation of the government the battles were mostly spontaneous and sporadic. But after the formation of Mujibnagar government they could come under one single umbrella to conduct a meaningful and well-guided war campaign.

Last but not the least significant event began to unfold after this government was formed. A large section of people from different strata of society was a bit hesitant about the fate of the war. Hesitation is vacillation of those people was gone as soon as they could see a future, though not yet clear, of the movement. They joined the war physically. They took up arms and jumped into the war to liberate the country from the clutch of the Pakistani rulers.