Abrar Hussain: BNP-nominated Gazipur City Corporation (GCC) mayor candidate Hassan Uddin Sarkar alleged yesterday that policemen of Khulna range are being deployed in a bid to conduct a “Khulna model election” in the city, reports The Daily Star.
Sarkar made the allegation at a press briefing organized at the party office in Tongi.
Harun-ur-Rashid, superintendent of Gazipur police, told The Daily Star that he does not know regarding this because the deployment was arranged has used it as its party anthem without permission, reports BDnews24.
Singer Shahnaz Rahmatullah and composer Alauddin Ali said the BNP has used the song for last forty years without their approval.
“It is not a party song. I did not sing this song for any party”, singer Rahmatullah told .
She said she first sang this song in the late seventies for Bornali, a popular musical event of Bangladesh Television or BTV produced by Nawazish Ali Khan. Later it became a most popular song of Bangladesh.
“How did it become the BNP’s party anthem?”, asked Rahmatullah, the singer of many patriotic songs such as ‘Ek Nadi Rakta Periye’, ‘Ekbar Zete De Na Amar Chotto Sonar Gaye’, ‘Ektara Tui Desher Kotha Bolre Ebar Bol’ and many others.
She said, “It is a patriotic song. I have spoken about my country through this song. Here I mentioned the words, `Amar Aginay Chharano Bichhano’ that represents the image of my country. Then how did it come to be a song for the BNP?”
Alauddin Ali, the composer of this song, made similar comments.
He told that he do not know how and when it became BNP song.
“I only learned about it later.”
“Nobody asks me for permission to use my song… they just do as they please. Nobody took permission … nor do they give thanks.”
In an article published several years ago Monir wrote that then President Ziaur Rahman called him twice and spoke to him about the song after it was broadcast on ‘Bornali’. He also appointed Monir as an officer of Shilpakala Academy during a time when the lyricist was unemployed.
At that time Zia had declared the song a party anthem and Monir became famous as the president’s beloved lyricist.
The song is used by the BNP on its party website. The names of the singer, lyricist and composer were also written there.