Morning News
12th May 1956
AL to Launch People’s Movement
to Press Demands
A public meeting held in Dacca last (Friday) evening at Paltan Maidan under the auspices of the East Pakistan Awami League indorsed Maulana Bhashani’s demand reports APP.
Maulana Bhashani on the eve of his hunger-strike made demands that the Central Government should make available Rs. 50 crores to the Provincial Government to ease the food situation, fixation of price of rice and paddy at Rs. 15 and Rs. 8 per mound respectively, free distribution of food grains to the distributes and extension of modified rationing system to the rural areas. The meeting, which was presided over by Mr. Ataur Rahman Khan, Vice President, Awami League and leader of the Opposition in East Pakistan, expressed grave concern over the condition of Maulana Bhashani, who completed the tenth day of his fast yesterday, and appealed to him to suspend the hunger-strike in the interest of the country. The meeting in another resolution condemned the Government for “shamelessly bungling” with the food situation in the province and “indulging” in party politics in the formation of local relief committees.
These resolutions were taken by a procession led by Mr. Ataur Rahman Khan and Mr. Mujibur Rahman, MP, Secretary, East Pakistan Awami League, to the Chief Minister’s residence and handed over to him.
The processionists, while wending their way from Paltan Maidan to the Chief Minister’s residence, shouted slogans demanding acceptance of Maulana Bhashani’s demand and save Bhashani’s life.’ The Chief Minister, Mr. Abu Hussain Sarkar, when approached by newsmen immediately after the resolutions were handed over to him, remarked he had nothing to say about the resolutions. From the Chief Minister’s house the procession went to the Mitford Hospital to appeal to Maulana Bhashani to suspend the fast.
Mahmud Ali’s Address
Mr. Mahmud Ali, MP, Secretary General of the Ganatantri Dal, addressing the gathering, called for united efforts by officials and non-officials to meet the emergent food situation in East Pakistan. Mr. Ali said that the province had a huge deficit and the prices of rice in the districts, which he had recently visited, were daily shooting up and were beyond the reach of the average people. He appealed to the political parties to join hands together to mobilize the country on this issue and thus “save the people and Maulana Bhashani.”
Ataur Rahman
Mr. Ataur Rahman Khan, while addressing the gathering, regreties that what he described as prevalence of famine conditions in East Pakistan was not accepted to be a fact by Mr. Abu Hossain Sarkar and his Government as also by the Central Food Minister, Mr. Abdul Latif Biswas. Mr. Khan further complained that the proferred hand of cooperation extended by the Awami League had not been accepted by the Ministry and Awami Leaguer had been left out from all local food committees. He expressed concern over the condition of Maulana Bhashani.
Mujibur Rahman
Mr. Mujibur Rahman, speaking of the meeting, said that the food situation was worse than what it was during 1943 in undivided Bengal. He added that in undivided Bengal there was a deficit of only three lakh tons but in this year in East Pakistan there was a deficit of ten lakh tons. He said the Sarkar Ministry was not paying any heed to the demands of Maulana Bhashani which had been made for the good of the people of this province. He regretted that the Chief Minister had not supported the East Pakistan demands and had not called on Maulana Bhashani in the hospital. He declared that the Awami League would launch a people’s movement to press their demands.
The meeting was also addressing by the representatives of the Students Union and Mahila Sangha and Mr. Mahiuddin Ahmed, MLA.