In a controversial move, Bangladesh’s interim ruler Mohammed Yunus has canceled eight national holidays linked to the War of Liberation and the country’s founding leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. This decision is part of a broader campaign to reshape the nation’s historical narrative following the military-backed overthrow of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August.
Among the canceled holidays are significant dates, including March 7, the day when Mujibur Rahman delivered his historic speech declaring Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistani rule, as well as his birth anniversary on March 17 and his death anniversary on August 15. Also removed from the calendar is November 4, Constitution Day, which commemorates the establishment of Bangladesh’s legal framework.
The Bangladesh Awami League (BAL), led by Mujib’s daughter, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, strongly condemned Yunus’s actions. In a statement, the party emphasized that the establishment of an independent Bangladesh remains the “biggest achievement” for the Bengali people. They accused the interim government of pursuing a vendetta against Mujib’s legacy and the contributions of those involved in the liberation struggle. The BAL asserted that the current regime’s actions represent a broader effort to erase national history and the significance of Mujib’s role.
Nahid Islam, the information and broadcasting minister in Yunus’s administration, has publicly rejected the title of “Father of the Nation” for Mujibur Rahman, describing the reverence for him as part of the “fascist” ideology of the Awami League. Islam claimed there are multiple figures deserving of the title and criticized the commemoration of national holidays as a political agenda that should not persist under the new government.
The interim regime’s approach has already sparked outrage, with reports of mobs vandalizing Mujib’s family home, which had been converted into a museum, and desecrating his statue in Dhaka shortly after the regime’s establishment.
