‘Inqilab Zindabad’ Slogans Clash with Bangla Spirit: Minister

Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku said slogans like “Inqilab Zindabad” are incompatible with the spirit of the Bangla language, arguing that such foreign expressions have no place in Bengali identity.

He made the remarks during a discussion, cultural programme, and prize distribution ceremony organized by the district administration at the District Shilpakala Academy Auditorium on Saturday morning to mark Martyrs Day and International Mother Language Day.

“Inqilab has become the language of our youth, and that is our failure,” the minister said. “If we truly want to embrace Bangla as our mother tongue, then Inqilab Zindabad cannot be accepted. Inqilab Zindabad, Inqilab Moncho — these have no relation to Bangla. These are the words of those who tried to snatch our language away from us.”

Anticipating criticism, he added, “Some may brand me as an agent of India for saying this, but I will speak out because it is my life’s conviction — one that took me to the Liberation War and ultimately made me a minister.”

Reflecting on history, Tuku said the British caused immense harm to the country, using the suppression of Bangla as a state language as a tool of exploitation. He highlighted that the sacrifices of those in the 1952 Language Movement and the 1954 subsequent movement laid the first seeds of an independent Bangladesh, eventually accelerating the 1971 Liberation War.

Addressing the younger generation, he warned, “You must think critically, otherwise this country will drift toward the extreme right.”

He also emphasised the importance of mastering one’s own language: “Nationalism has not grown among us because we never tried to learn our own language properly. We must build our own language and our own country. No one else will do it for us.”

The event was presided over by District Commissioner Md Aminul Islam and attended by Superintendent of Police Saiful Islam Santu, district BNP General Secretary Saidur Rahman Bacchu, and other local dignitaries.