Just after the independence of India, Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated by a Hindu fanatic. The killer was hanged but his supporters did not stop from the character assassination of Gandhi for a long time. A section of Indian intellectuals known as supporters of Hindu Mahasabha (now defunct) started a campaign against Gandhi that he did not want the full independence of India. India achieved independence because of the sacrifices of Beer Savarkar and like-minded other Hindu chauvinist leaders. They referred to a Congress conference of the late 20s of last century when Moulana Hasrat Mohani, then a prominent Congress leader presented a proposal in the conference demanding full independence of India. Mahatma Gandhi opposed this resolution and said that instead of full independence we want dominion status for India. Later on Gandhi explained that the time was not ripe for full independence. Eventually, Gandhi launched a movement against British Raj which was known as Quit India Movement of 42. But still his adversaries criticized him saying that, 'Quit India' demand was not equivalent to demand of full independence.

Gandhi's struggle for achieving India's independence is known throughout the world and he is called the Father of the Nation of India. But the controversy whether he wanted full independence or dominion status of India prolonged for a long time. Though at a later stage Congress demanded full independence but the controversy over Gandhi was raised from time to time. The anti-Gandhi campaign was fomented by mostly communal Hindu political parties. But after the independence of India some people from other political fronts tried to malign Gandhi's role in its independent movement.

A number of intellectuals known as supporter of Subash Chandra Bose claimed that Gandhi's politics brought division of India not its independence. The British Raj quickly left India because of Subash Bose's armed struggle and for the establishment of Azad Hind Government. When these controversies from different quarters was clouding India's political horizon P.C Joshi, a the-then veteran Indian communist leader who was himself against Gandhite politics said in reply to a question from some journalists, "Does our nation need an unnecessary controversy? India achieved independence and the whole world knows and has accepted the fact that Gandhi struggled for it and achieved it. Now our aim should be to advance India towards a real socialist state. We should not waste our time and energy engaging in an unnecessary and harmful controversy only to divide and exploit people's mind".

What happened in India a long time ago surrounding Mahatma Gandhi, we are now witnessing the same thing happening in a similar manner in Bangladesh. Recently a concerted campaign against Sheikh Mujib, the Father of the Nation has started to confuse people's mind about his role in the Independence movement. After his brutal assassination in 1975 the opponents to his political ideals captured power and tried to malign his role in the struggle for independence. They even questioned his leadership. Their long propaganda did not succeed and Sheikh Mujib is also established and accepted throughout the world as the founding father of Bangladesh.

Recently a book was published in London by a British publication under the title, "The Speeches that Inspired History". This book included Sheikh Mujib's 7th March speech along with the best speeches of the world leaders which made history. Now Sheikh Mujib's name is restored again in the history of Bangladesh with full honour and glory as the protector of secular Bangladesh for which 30 lakh martyrs sacrificed their lives. Perhaps, the opponents of the democratic and secular Bangladesh feared that with Sheikh Mujib's revival it will be impossible for them to stop the march towards the fulfilment of his political goals.

Suddenly, last year a book was published by an unknown writer but a known western publisher under the title, "Black Coat". This book portrays Sheikh Mujib as a blood thirsty autocrat. Somehow it was revealed that Jamaat of Bangladesh and its foreign allies were behind the publication of the book. This book did not get market in spite of a big campaign. Afterwards Tareq Rahman of BNP appeared in different London meetings posing as a new historian. He hired some Jamaat-minded scholars from Cambridge and Oxford and started twisting and fabricating facts to prove Sheikh Mujib a demon and created confusion among the new generation about our history of independence
movement.

Almost at the same time to add fuel to the fire Sharmeen Ripi wrote a book, 'Pita-o-Neta' (Father and the Leader) and tried to malign the memory of Sheikh Mujib, who was the leader of her father. She almost played the role of Svetlana, daughter of Stalin, who was used by CIA and brought to America to defame Stalin after his death. My fear is that Shrmeen Ripi was used by the opponents of the ideals of Sheikh Mujib in the same way as Svetlana.

At the same time another campaign against Bangabandhu started by some of his erstwhile disciples. One of them is Serajul Alam Khan, one of the founding leaders of JSD. Of late he claimed that he, as one of the members of a secret nucleus formed at the time to guide Independence movement helped to compose the historic speech of 7th March. Even on the platform in the Race-course meeting Sheikh Mujib was guided by them during his speech. This lie and the fabrication of the facts is done by a man who has lost all his credibility long ago and is now living in political wilderness. All these controversies could not confuse the public mind and like Gandhi and Lincoln, Sheikh Mujib has remained above this mudslinging and his name remains untarnished.

The recent and last attack on Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is done by no other person than Air vice Marshal (Rtd) A K Khandaker, who is known to his friends as a good man and a leading freedom fighter. After his retirement from the Air force, he joined Awami League and served the party as an MP and as a minister. Now he has also written a book titled, ' Unissho Ekattor: bhetore baire" (1971: Inside and Out). In the book also knowingly or unknowingly he tried to create controversy on the historical 7th March speech. Sheikh concluded this speech with Jai Bangla slogan. This was recorded in The History of the Liberation war (2nd Volume, page 702). But A. K. Khandaker wrote in his book that Sheikh Mujib also added Jai Pakistan with Jai Bangla slogan. Those who recorded this speech and the published documents in the last 40 years did not mention that he uttered the Jai Pakistan slogan. It was invented afterwards by some pro-Pakistani Bangladeshi intellectuals and politicians in their political campaigns against Mujib and his political ideals.

It is most unfortunate that a personality like A. K. Khandaker would join the band-wagon of the anti-liberation camp to strengthen their recent concerted attempt to malign the Father of the nation. He admitted he was not present in the meeting of 7th March 1971. Depending only on hearsay it is dangerous to create such a controversy for the nation at such a critical time. The same blunder was committed by the late Justice Habibur Rahman Shelley. Bangabandhu uttered Jai Bangla and Jai Pakistan slogan in his election victory meeting on 4th January 1971, not on 7th March. He confused these two meetings and wrote in one of his articles that Bangabandhu uttered Jai Bangla and Jai Pakistan slogans in his 7th March speech. He admitted later on that he made an error and that he got confused about the two meetings. If our Air vice Marshal is a man of conscience he should also admit his confusion and make necessary correction in his memoir.
Like communist leader comrade P. C. Joshi of India I would like to put the same question on this controversy- Does our nation need this unnecessary controversy at all, at any time? The nation is slowly recovering from the deep wound of anarchy and terrorism. In this time we need a combined effort to march towards peace and stability not a divisive conspiracy and campaign. (The Independent)