Emran Emon

There are many memorable days in our national life–the historic 7th March is one of them. The 7th March has been called historic because 7th March has created a unique history in our national life. That history is the history of emancipation, that history is the history of freedom. And the great hero who has created that history is the father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the architect of the independent sovereign state of Bangladesh.

On March 7, 1971, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman gave his speech at a large gathering at Suhrawardy Udyan in front of more than 10 lakh people and showed the way to the rise of an independent Bangladesh. The 7th March Speech was basically the final direction of the liberation war. Because after being inspired by this speech, the people of this country jumped into the great war of liberation with the aim of liberating the country.

March 7, 1971, came in the view of a series of political movements. The long 24 years history of the Pakistani regime was a tragic history of exploitation, deprivation, and torture. The Pakistani ruling class always deprived the Bengalis of their fair rights. Surprisingly, no general election has been held here in the 23 years since the establishment of an independent state on the basis of binationalism. In the face of various movements, the Pakistani ruling class was finally forced to hold elections on December 7, 1970. The Awami League, under the leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, won an absolute majority in the Pakistan National Assembly elections, held on 7 December 1970. In this election, the Awami League, led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, won 167 of the 169 seats of East Pakistan, while the PDP won two seats, West Pakistan collapsed in the 7th December election. They started various excuses to hand over power to the majority party that won the election (to the Awami League).

Instead of handing over the power, they started a conspiracy to destroy East Pakistan and Bengalis. Bangabandhu was able to realize the conspiracy of the Pakistani ruling class. He realized with his prudence that the Pakistani ruling class would not give back their fair rights to the Bengalis without a strong movement. At one stage Bangabandhu became the symbol of hope, aspiration, and liberation of the Bengali nation. So, he united the Bengalis through his speech on March 7 and instructed them to jump into the liberation struggle for the realization of their rights.

This galvanizing speech was delivered by Bangabandhu for about 19 minutes in front of more than 10 lakh freedom-loving people on March 7, 1971 at Suhrawardy Udyan. This speech is recognized as one of the best political speeches in the world. All the other best speeches in the world were written speeches.

But Bangabandhu's 7th March speech was not written. Bangabandhu started that speech of about 18 minutes by addressing the people as 'Apni' (You). He said, 'You all know and understand'. This shows that the sorrows, pains, hopes, and aspirations of both Bangabandhu and the people are one, no one knows or understands less than anyone else. He only spoke in his uncompromising voice about the rights of the people, their long-suffering, hopes, and aspirations.

The analysis of the speech shows that at the beginning of the speech Bangabandhu addressed the people as 'Apni' (You) but at one stage he became so united with the people that he became so attached to them that he started calling the people 'Tumi' (You). Being able to take the people as one's own is the characteristic of a great leader.

At one point in his speech, Bangabandhu said, "I have a request for you to build forts in every house. You have to deal with the enemy with what you have...."

At the end of his speech, Bangabandhu thunderously declared to the military authorities of Pakistan on four conditions, 'The struggle this time is the struggle for our emancipation. The struggle this time is the struggle for our independence.'

Analyzing Bangabandhu's speech, it can be seen that he indirectly declared the war of liberation on that day and also gave directions on how to win the war. At one stage, like the legitimate head of government of an independent state, Bangabandhu said, 'On the date of 28, the employees will go and get their salaries. ....Until this country is liberated, the rent tax has been stopped-no one will pay! 'Many people feared that Bangabandhu might be killed or arrested.

This fear may have been in Bangabandhu himself. So, as part of his precaution, he said, "If I can't give the order, you will block everything on the roads." Nothing but victory–that was the main tone of the 7th March speech.

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman delivered his speech on 7th March very wisely. Withdrawal of martial law, withdrawal of army barracks, transfer of power to elected representatives, and judicial inquiry into the killings–all four conditions, on the one hand, paved the way for negotiations, and on the other hand, he concluded by saying–'The struggle this time is the struggle for our emancipation. The struggle this time is the struggle for our independence.'

He indirectly declared independence and called upon the people to prepare for the war of liberation. On the one hand, he declared independence; on the other hand, he was careful not to be called a separatist.

He did not take responsibility for breaking up Pakistan. It was because of this tactic that the Pakistani army, under the direction of Yahya Khan, prepared to attack the rally on that day, but failed to do so. An intelligence report by the Pakistan Army also described Sheikh Mujib as "clever". In the report, an intelligence official said, "Sheikh Mujib tactically left with the declaration of independence, but we could not do anything" (Deutsche Welle, 31 October 2017).

Various political leaders of the world and international media have made various comments on Bangabandhu's speech on March 7. Cuba's undisputed leader Fidel Castro said, "Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's speech on March 7 is not just a speech, it is a unique tactical document." "I have not seen the Himalayas, but I have seen Sheikh Mujib. This man is the equivalent of the Himalayas in personality and courage. And that's how I got the experience of seeing the Himalayas."

Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Edward Heath has said, "As long as there is a struggle for liberation from subjugation in the history of the world, the speech of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on March 7 will remain in the minds of freedom-loving people forever." This speech is not only for the people of Bangladesh but also for the freedom-loving people all over the world. '

In the famous report of 'Newsweek' magazine, Bangabandhu was called as 'Poet of Politics'. 'The 7 March Speech is not just a speech, it is an epic. Through this epic, he was 'recognized as a poet of politics.' A 1997 Time magazine report said, 'Sheikh Mujib actually declared Bangladesh's independence through his speech on March 7'. A report in The Washington Post in 1971 said, "Sheikh Mujib's speech on March 7 is the basic declaration of Bangladesh's independence." Later, the war of independence was fought in the light of that speech. '

Moreover, Bangabandhu's speech on March 7 got academic recognition globally. A 223-page book was published from the United Kingdom in 2014 with the best speeches of nearly two and a half thousand years from 431 BC to 1987 AD. Jacob F. Field compiled the book, "We Shall Fight on the Beaches - The Speeches That Inspired History". Former United States President Ronald Reagan's last speech in the compilation began with a speech by Sir Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during World War II. Bangabandhu's speech has found a place in 201 pages of the book, the title is 'The Struggle This Time Is The Struggle for Independence'. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has recognized Bangabandhu's historic March 7th speech in 2017 as a 'World Heritage Document' and included it in the 'Memory of the World International Register.

So far this speech has been translated into about 12 languages of the world. So now not only Bangladesh but generation after generation all over the world know how Bangabandhu maintained balance in the disaster situation of the country through a speech, how he united the people of that country.

Bangabandhu has taught how to struggle without making any accusation against anyone, without making provocative statements.

And now the opposite picture can be noticed in the country. The leaders of the political parties are now just sitting in ambush, talking provocatively against each other. It goes without saying that there is no political tolerance among the political parties now.

The 7th March Speech teaches the present generation how to be a protester against injustice, exploitation, and oppression, how to remain steadfast without bowing down, how to move forward, how to assert rights. This speech teaches us how to move forward in a democratic way, to give priority to the opinion of others. In his speech on March 7, Bangabandhu said, "If anyone speaks fairly, even if he is one in number, we will accept his fair words even if we are huge in number."

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose's contribution to India's freedom struggle is immense. He said, 'You give blood, I will give freedom to India'.

But Bangabandhu said- "Since we have given blood, we will give more of it. But, Insha'Allah, we will free the people of this land!" Yes, this is Bangabandhu. Eventually, he was able to liberate this country from the enemy.

Such a great leader like Bangabandhu is no longer seen in today's politics. What did we learn from Bangabandhu's 7th March Speech and his political life philosophy? Why can't we practice democratic values, humanity and secularism even after passing the golden jubilee of independence? What is the reason behind this? It is time to return to the ideals of our freedom and the great war of liberation.

Although Bangabandhu declared armed independence in the early hours of March 26, 1971, in fact, the declaration of independence was made in his speech on March 7, 1971. The people of this country inspired by the great speech and jumped into the great war of liberation for liberating the country. Eventually, we get a country of infinite possibilities inlaid with red-green maps. The inflammatory 7th March speech moved us, inspired us to liberate the country. This speech always gives us the strength to speak out against injustice, oppression, and tyranny.

The writer is a, researcher, journalist and columnist