Bangladesh, which has been witnessing chaos and instability concerning various issues after the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has now got a new issue to deal with – change of the national anthem and the national flag.
However, the interim government of the country has assured the countrymen, emphasizing that it has no plans to change anything.
Critics have been arguing that the national anthem – “Amar Sonar Bangla” – was imposed by India on Bangladesh in 1971, and reflects its colonial past.
They say it does not go well with the identity of an independent Bangladesh.
According to reports, Abdullahil Amaan Azmi, the son of former Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ghulam Azam, has been opposing it saying the national anthem is contrary to the country’s existence.
“It reflects the time of the Bengal partition and the merging of the two Bengals. How can an anthem created to unite the two Bengals become the national anthem of an independent Bangladesh? This anthem was imposed on us by India in 1971. There are many songs that could serve as a national anthem. The government should form a new commission to select a new national anthem,” he was quoted as saying in the media reports.
Interestingly, the Jamaat-e-Islami, the largest Islamist party of the country was banned for years under anti-terror laws. The Muhammad Yunus-led interim government lifted the ban on it a week ago.
Meanwhile, the present regime has assured the public about the Rabindranath Tagore-written anthem, with Religious Affairs Adviser AFM Khalid Hossain saying “(we) will not do anything to create controversy.”
Supporting the government, Udichi Shilpigosthi, a cultural outfit organised an event where people sang the national anthem in various parts of the country.
Local English daily reported that the country’s flag was also hoisted during the program and patriotic songs were performed alongside the anthem.
