Dhaka: Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus led Bangladesh Monday in marking the 54th Victory Day, his speech making no mention of founding leader Mujibur Rahman while calling deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s administration the “world’s worst autocratic government”.
“Bijoy Dibosh” commemorates the Pakistan military’s surrender to Indian forces and the liberation of Bangladesh in 1971. ‘Bangabandhu’ Mujibur Rahman is seen as the independence movement’s iconic figure.
His daughter Sheikh Hasina fled to India on August 5, after massive student-led protests against her government. Nobel laureate Yunus then took over as head of an interim government.
In his televised address to the nation, Yunus indicated that elections might be held by early 2026.
“Broadly speaking, the election can be scheduled between the end of 2025 and the first half of 2026,” he said.
The country could not build on its achievements because of its own faults and, of late, a “monstrous autocratic government” had grabbed power, he said in an apparent reference to Hasina’s Awami league government.
He said the ouster of the “world’s worst autocratic government” amid a mass upsurge added extra significance to the celebration this year.
Yunus and Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin separately paid tributes to Liberation War martyrs at the National Memorial on the outskirts of the capital.
“I recall the millions of martyrs including numerous children and juveniles, youths’ and the elderly people’s sacrifices that made possible the achievement of our independence,” he said.
His speech, however, made no mention of the political leadership in 1971 and of Mujibur Rahman –- a sharp departure from previous Victory Day addresses.
Critics accuse his interim government of trying to erase Mujibur Rahman’s legacy. The authorities have earlier announced a decision to phase out the currency notes currently in circulation. The new ones will not carry Rahman’s image.
On Monday, Army bugles played the Last Post, commemorating those killed during the 1971 War. East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta accompanied Yunus at the
celebrations.