Awami League (AL) General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Monday said the contribution of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) to the country’s liberation war is undeniable while around 17,000 BCL men sacrificed their lives in the 1971 war.

“Under the undisputed leadership of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Awami League played a leading role in achieving the country’s independence. The Chhatra League's contribution to Bangladesh's liberation war is undeniable,” he said in a statement.

Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, said BCL is always working to implement the spirit of liberation war.

BCL is a student organisation run by its constitution and principles, while it does not believe in occupation, he said.

Recalling that occupation of educational institutions was started by military dictator Ziaur Rahman, the AL general secretary said Zia used students as tools to consolidate his illegal power, while luring power and money, Chhatra Dal was established by deviating student leaders from ideals.

He said the student leaders were used to materialistic thinking and luxurious life by avoiding their principles and ideals and as a result, a stigmatised trend was established in student politics.

Similarly, he said, the politics of Pakistani ideology was established in Bangladesh under the direct supervision of Ziaur Rahman.

Quader said Zia reestablished the defeated anti-liberation forces in the country’s politics and introduced religion-based communal politics.
 
Its wave touched the educational institutions too and disrupted the democratic environment of education in the educational institutions, he said, adding that BCL continues its struggle against the forces having no principle and ideology.

The AL general secretary said BNP leaders do not understand that if they continue to lie about the country’s independence and liberation war, they will further be isolated from people.

After assuming power, BNP created a trend of anti-state politics by making anti-Awami League statements through distorting the country’s history and in continuation of that, they continue to try to create controversy about the declaration of the country’s independence, he said.

Quader said the contribution of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Awami League to the Great War of Liberation is established logically.

Bangladesh, AL and Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman are synonymous, he added.
The road transport minister said making statements against Bangabandhu and Awami League means taking a stand against the history.

He said the defeat of those who stand against history is obvious. “As a result, we see that the anti-history evil forces, BNP and its allies, are now detached from the core spirit of Bangladesh and they are on the brink of extinction after being repeatedly rejected by the country’s people,” he added.

Mentioning that the BNP leaders were delivering false and fabricated statements of torture, Quader said BNP men followed the path of terrorism and violence to foil the 12th general elections and that was why legal action was taken against them.

But, now their leaders and activists are being released gradually, he added.