• Source:JND
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Bangladesh National Anthem Row:  Weeks after Bangladesh witnessed a violence-marred, forced takeover of government by the protestors, another issue, this time on the country's national anthem, has now raked up internal tensions in India's eastern neighbour. A leader of Jamat-i-Islami, the ultra-orthodox Muslim party, has demanded changes in the constitution and the national anthem of the country.

Former Jamaat-e-Islami leader Ghulam Azam's son, Abdullah Aman Azmi, has called for these changes, claiming that the current national anthem was forced onto the country by India. He further asked that as the 'Amar Sonar Bangla' talks about the unification of two Bengals, how it can be the national anthem of independent Bangladesh.

"I leave the matter of the national anthem to this government. Our current national anthem is contrary to the existence of our independent Bangladesh. It reflects the time of Bengal's partition and the unification of the two Bengals. How can a national anthem, created to unite the two Bengals, be the anthem of an independent Bangladesh?"

Many Songs Can Work As National Anthem

The Jamat hardliner further claimed that India forced the national anthem on Bangladesh after it gained independence in 1971. He said that there are so many songs in the country which can replace "Amar Sonar Bangla" - a timeless piece by writer-poet Rabindranath Tagore.

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Yunus Govt Responds: 'We Want To..'

Abul Faiz Muhammad Khalid Hussain, the Advisor on Religious Affairs in Bangladesh's interim government, said on Saturday that there are no plans to change the country's national anthem. His remarks came following a visit to the Islamic Foundation in Rajshahi on the northern bank of the Padma River, where he said that the interim government will not do anything to create controversy. "We want to build a beautiful Bangladesh with everyone's cooperation," he said.

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Notably, Bangladesh witnessed a forced transfer of power from Awami League's Sheikh Hasina to the interim government of Nobel laureate Md Yunus. The power shift has caused multiple internal disturbances in the country, with minorities facing the brunt of change. 

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