AL spreading propaganda against Yunus, Indian media involved: Press secy

Chief adviser's press secretary Shafiqul Alam has said Awami League, which was ousted in the July mass uprising, is spreading propaganda against the interim government's chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus.

He also said that millions of dollars are being spent to portray Professor Yunus as a "terrorist leader." Indian media is also involved in this campaign.

Shafiqul Alam made these remarks during a book launching event titled "Graffiti of Rebellion: The 24th People's Uprising" at the National Press Club in the capital on Saturday afternoon.

The book, written by GM Rajib Hossain, a journalist from the Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), was launched in the presence of Shafiqul Alam as a special guest.

He said that the Awami League and the fallen autocrat, the "mother of corruption and enforced disappearances", are trying to challenge Bangladesh’s narrative. They claim that 3,000 police officers were killed, and they are portraying Professor Yunus as the leader of terrorists on their websites.

“This is a well-planned campaign of disinformation. Indian media is also involved. Hasina’s oligarchs are spending millions of dollars,” Shafiqul Alam remarked. He added that they are attempting to convince the world that what happened in Bangladesh was not a mass uprising, but a grand conspiracy.

The press secretary of the chief adviser alleged that attempts had been made to change Bangladesh’s history.

He pointed out that no research or writing on the 1974 famine had been published in the 15 years of the Awami League’s rule. He mentioned the mysterious death of Aftab Ahmed, who had taken pictures in Basanti, and no investigation had been conducted into it.

He noted that 30,000 people were killed by the Rakkhi Bahini (Auxiliary Force). He accused the government of trying to erase history and impose a new one, using the weapon of historical distortion to suppress people.

Shafiqul Alam also mentioned his family experience, saying that his brother had to stand in line in front of a ration shop for days and nights.

People would come to their house asking for rice starch, and he himself had eaten rice starch. Yet, for the past 15 and a half years, it has been claimed that Sheikh Mujib’s rule was glorious.

He stated that Sheikh Hasina and her people have laundered $234 billion from Bangladesh, and more than 3,000 people have been forcibly disappeared. He also mentioned that in July and August, 2,000 people were killed. During Hasina's tenure, there were the Shapla Chattar killings and horrific murders following the verdict of Maulana Delwar Hossain Sayedee.

Shafiqul Alam noted that Professor Yunus had called for calm and said, “Our job is to highlight the horrors of the last 15 years through research. We will hold seminars at every campus, and we will write on every wall the injustices that have been committed so that the fallen autocrats and their associates do not return to Bangladesh. This is something we must do.”

He further stated, “Those who think that the revolution happened in the 21 days of July-August, they are mistaken. The fight had been going on for 15 years before that. We will need to struggle for another 15 years. We will pause for a moment, but they will try to rise again. We must ensure that does not happen.”

The chief guest at the event was BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi. The event was chaired by Hassan Hafiz, the president of the National Press Club. Journalists Kader Gani Chowdhury, Syed Abdal Ahmed, and others also spoke at the event.