Recently, the Bangladesh government re-implemented job quotas, which had been scrapped in 2018, for the descendants of those who had fought in the country’s independence war in 1971. However, this decision was not well received by the masses, as in July, protests began at Dhaka University against this decision. The original motive of the protest was to compel the government to curb the recently re-implemented quota system in government jobs. However, the protest turned violent and clashes were witnessed between students and security officials. So far, over 300 people have been killed in the violence. The student-led movement soon turned into widespread anger against Sheikh Hasina’s government, and she was asked to resign. On August 5, there were reports that Sheikh Hasina has resigned and left the country.
Meanwhile, a video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting Bangladesh in 2021 to attend a program organized on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh’s independence and the birth centenary of its founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is going viral. In the video, PM Modi says, “Joining the struggle for the independence of Bangladesh was one of the first movements of my life too. I must have been 20-22 years old when I and many of my friends did Satyagraha for the freedom of the people of Bangladesh and had to go to jail at that time.”
Kavish Aziz sharing the video wrote, “I was also involved in the struggle for independence of Bangladesh. I fought for the independence of Bangladesh at the age of 20-22 and even went to jail.” (Archived link)
Congress Troll Rofl Gandhi wrote, “Fake Badjuban Sahab, an old associate of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.” (Archived link)
Fake news peddler, Neha Singh, wrote, “I am speechless! While begging for alms, Modiji even spent jail time for Bangladesh. This country…the people of this country…will not be able to understand you easily!” (Archived link)
Handle Sanju Singh wrote, “This person is claiming that he participated in a movement supporting the freedom of Bangladesh.” (Archived link)
Ravish Kumar Commentary wrote, “What do you think? Will he go to Dhaka this time to participate in the movement or not?” (Archived link)
Handle Abhishek wrote, “The current condition of Bangladesh makes me sad since Modi Ji once fought for their independence and went to jail.” (Archived link)
In 2021, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Bangladesh and recalled his participation in the Bangladesh freedom struggle, his statement was ridiculed. Opposition leaders termed Modi’s claim as ‘false.’ In this fact-check report, we will analyze how true Modi’s claim about his participation in Bangladesh’s independence is.
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In our analysis, we found an English newspaper article from Times of India, which stated that Jana Sangh started Bangladesh Satyagraha in August 1971. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was then the president of Jana Sangh, who addressed the Satyagraha. The Satyagraha movement lasted for 12 days. During this, thousands of Jana Sangh workers were arrested and on the last day of the Satyagraha, about 10 thousand workers including 1200 women and children were put in jail.
Further, the Economic Times, in one of its articles, has published a photograph of Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s address during the Bangladesh Satyagraha in 1971. The caption of the photograph says, “As Jana Sangh president, Vajpayee addresses a mammoth rally in Delhi in August 1971, demanding the immediate recognition of Bangladesh by the Indian government.”
The MEA website of the government has shared an extract of Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s speech, which he gave as an opposition MP in the Indian Parliament on 6 December 1971. Atal Bihari Vajpayee remarked, “By recognizing Bangladesh, albeit belatedly, a right step has been taken. The process of changing history is going on in front of us. And destiny has placed this Parliament, this country, in such a crucial area when we are not only fighting alongside those who sacrificed their lives in the Liberation War, but we are also trying to give a new direction to history. Today in Bangladesh, the blood of those fighting for their freedom and that of Indian soldiers is flowing together. This blood will build such ties that will not be broken by any pressure, that will not fall prey to any diplomacy. The liberation of Bangladesh is now drawing near.”
Also, in 2015, Bangladesh honoured former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee with the Friends of Bangladesh Liberation War Award. However, Vajpayee could not go to receive the award due to his ill health. Therefore, Prime Minister Modi received the award on his behalf. The citation was posted by the Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India.
We also found video footage of August 2, 1971 and August 12, 1971 in the archives of Associated Press. Which contains footage of a rally of Jan Sangh on May 25, 1971 in support of the independence of Bangladesh.
From all these facts, it is clear that the Jana Sangh launched a movement in support of Bangladesh, and thousands of its workers were taken into custody for participating in the movement.
Further, in 2015, when Modi received an award on behalf of Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Bangladesh, it was the first time he mentioned his involvement in the Bangladesh liberation movement. PM Modi said said, ” This occasion it is a matter of great joy that the award is being given in the memory of that war and it is being given by his excellency the President, who himself has been a proud freedom fighter and being honoured by him is a matter of great pride in itself. And secondly, this honour is being received in the presence of the daughter of Banga-Bandhu, under whose leadership, under whose guidance, Bangladesh fought and won this battle. And thirdly, one thing which I have probably never told before, I feel a little proud in telling it today.”
He said, “I entered political life quite late. I entered in the last part of ’98 but as a young activist, as a young worker who was not a member of any political party, I was never a worker of Bharatiya Jana Sangh but when Bharatiya Jana Sangh under the leadership of Atal Ji did a satyagraha in support of the creation of Bangladesh and I came to Delhi from my village as a volunteer in that satyagraha. You people fought a glorious battle and in which every Indian wanted to see your dreams come true, I was also one among those crores of dreams, I used to see those dreams at that time.”
Furthermore, we found senior journalist Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay mentioned Narendra Modi’s presence in the Satyagraha for Bangladesh in his article published in 2015 in the Economic Times. He wrote that Narendra Modi had participated in the Jan Sangh Satyagraha led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Delhi in 1971, Modi was kept in Tihar Jail for a short time.
Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay has also mentioned the same thing in his book ‘Narendra Modi: The Man, the Times.’
Apart from this, journalist Brajesh Kumar Singh has shared the cover and back cover of the book ‘Sangharsha Ma Gujarat’ written by Narendra Modi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote this book in 1978. This book is written about the role of Gujarat during the Emergency.
The back cover of the book has a description written. The last line of the second-last paragraph says, “Agau Bangladesh Satyagraha Sam Tihar Jail Jaai Aleva Chhe,” which means, “Earlier, he had gone to Tihar Jail during the Bangladesh Satyagraha.”
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