The 1974 famine came because the government stood against the people, says adviser Titumir

Dr. Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, adviser to the Prime Minister on finance and planning, has said that the famine of 1974 came to the country because the government stood against the aspirations of the people.

He said the government of 1972 to 1975 had no connection with the people, which is why it had to survive in power through state violence.

He made the remarks on Sunday (8 November) at a seminar titled 'The Famine of 1974: The Post-Independence Economic Crisis' at the July Mass Uprising Memorial Museum in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka.

The Prime Minister's finance and planning adviser said the government of 1972 to 1975 preserved none of the features of how a state is supposed to be run. It formed a government that had not the slightest relationship with the people, and for that reason it created a paramilitary force to crush citizens.

He said that in 1972, the price of one tonne of rice in the world market was 147 dollars, while in Bangladesh its price was 316 dollars. That alone shows there was no market control or accountability there. It was not only the economy — the government failed in almost every area of running the state.

He added that the rulers of the time had no connection with how a state runs. They did not believe in the sovereignty of the people.

Comparing the period of 1972 to 1975 with the government of Sheikh Hasina, Dr. Titumir said that to stay in power they did not hesitate to crush people. They had no legitimacy from the people. During Sheikh Hasina's rule from 2009 to 2024, dissenters were crushed in the same manner. In essence, the Hasina government was an extension of the rule of 1972 to 1975.

Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir said some people are now saying they want to return to the country in December. In reality, they never had any relationship with this country's soil, grass, water and people. They will never be able to return to this country again.

Others who spoke at the seminar included Ehsan Mahmud, director general of the July Mass Uprising Memorial Museum; Asif Iqbal, treasurer of the Panam Institute; and economist and researcher Dr. Nahian Bin Khaled.

The seminar, moderated by writer and researcher Tuhin Khan, was attended by teachers, researchers, lawyers, students and representatives of civil society from various universities.