Contributions of Other Leaders Were Hidden Around One Leader, Current Government Is No Exception: Akhtar Hossain

Akhtar Hossain, member secretary of the National Citizen Party (NCP) and a member of parliament, has said that during the Awami League government's tenure, the contributions of other national leaders were hidden around one leader. The current government is also not giving them due importance, he said.

He made the remarks on Monday (26 October) while briefing journalists after paying tribute at the tomb of Sher-e-Bangla A K Fazlul Huq at the Three Leaders' Mausoleum premises in the capital. The Jatiya Krishak Shakti, an affiliate organisation of the NCP, paid tribute there on the occasion of Sher-e-Bangla's 153rd birth anniversary.

Akhtar Hossain said discussion of the national leaders' lives, political philosophy and contributions needs to increase in textbooks and the media so that they are presented to the new generation.

Referring to Sher-e-Bangla's farmer-friendly politics, he said he worked throughout his life to establish farmers' rights and stood for unity between Hindu and Muslim farmers, ignoring communal division. He called for building a Bangladesh of harmony by following those ideals.

He said a fertiliser crisis in the northern region, allegations of partisan appointments of dealers, farmers not getting fair prices for agricultural produce, and extortion and syndicates are deepening farmers' crisis. Citing the example of a bottle gourd priced at two taka in Panchagarh being sold for 60 taka in Dhaka, he asked why a farmer would not get a fair price for the produce he grows.

To protect farmers' interests, he called for ensuring fertiliser supply, stopping extortion and syndicates in the market, building cold storage and crop storage facilities, adopting a sympathetic policy on agricultural loans and increasing government incentives. In his view, all political parties in the country should follow Sher-e-Bangla's farmer-friendly ideals.

Present at the time were NCP political council member Akram Hossain, Jatiya Krishak Shakti member secretary agriculturist Golam Mortuza Selim, chief organiser Nafiul Islam, NCP assistant organising secretary Sakib Mahdi and central member Didar Shah, along with other leaders.