Dhaka: Bangladesh Awami League will celebrate the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 2020 as ‘Mujib Barsho’ through year-long programmes with the participation of mass people at the government and party levels.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a joint meeting of the party’s advisory council and central working committee today said, ‘Mujib Barsho’ would be celebrated from March 2020 to March 2021, which will follow the Golden Jubilee celebration of the country’s independence in 2021, reports the BSS.

People of every age, class, creed and caste irrespective of their gender, political affiliation and professional background would have their stake in the celebration, she said in the meeting held at party’s new central office at 23 Bangabandhu Avenue here this afternoon.

By this time, the prime minister said, a number of books on the life and works of Bangabandhu will be published which would be very useful for knowing the country’s history and Bangabandhu’s struggle for the emancipation of the Bengali nation.

The prime minister said, ‘We want to celebrate the birth centenary in a massive way, involving children, juveniles, youths and elderly people. Separate programmes including essay writing and cultural completions would be arranged from central to union levels for different groups of people.’

She lambasted the section of people who are telling against Bangladesh’s graduation as a developing country from the status of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh was not born to survive as a poverty stricken country and it was not the spirit of the War of Independence. Rather, the Father of the Nation used to tell that ‘a bagging nation has no dignity’.

‘So, we always wanted to build our country as a prosperous one to stand in world comity raising our head high,’ she said, adding that Awami League is striving to materialize the dream of Bangabandhu since assuming power in 1996 after 21 years of his brutal killing.

‘Bangladesh is now moving ahead on the development highway. We want to make our country self-reliant in food and fulfil the basic needs of the people. We also want to build a modern and knowledgeable nation, illuminate every house with the power of education,’ she said.

‘The global community has recognized our elevation as a developing country. But, unfortunately a group of people, who want the people of Bangladesh to live under poverty forever, never liked this graduation,’ Sheikh Hasina added.

In fact, Bangladesh’s emergence as a stronger economy is affecting their high rate business of credit. Common people, particularly of rural areas, are enjoying the benefit of development. That’s why the vested group who ‘suck blood’ of people with high credit rate, would never like the country’s graduation as a developing country, she said.

Highlighting the steps taken by her government for socioeconomic development of the country, the prime minister said Bangladesh would be a middle income country by 2021and a developed country by 2041.