Credit for July Uprising Belongs to the People: Information Minister

Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan has said that the true credit for the July Uprising does not belong to any individual or group but to the people of Bangladesh as a whole.
He made the remarks on Friday evening while speaking as the chief guest at a discussion titled “The July Uprising and Bangladesh's Democratic Transition”, organized by the University of Dhaka Debating Society at the university's Teacher-Student Centre (TSC).

Criticizing attempts by individuals or groups to claim exclusive credit for the movement, the minister said some people are currently more interested in establishing their individual contribution, popularity, or celebrity status on digital platforms than recognizing the collective role of the people.

“The true credit for this mass uprising does not belong to any individual or group; it belongs to the ordinary people of the entire country,” he said.

Swapan urged those who are still attempting to claim sole ownership of the movement's achievements to move away from such perceptions and recognize the collective contribution of the people.

The minister said Bangladesh now has a unique opportunity created through the mass uprising, the sacrifices of numerous people, the formation of a government through a free election based on the people's mandate, and the prospect of establishing an effective parliament.

He warned that failure to make proper use of this opportunity could result in the country's hard-won achievements being lost once again.

Reflecting on his political experience, Swapan said he had remained active on the streets and had been imprisoned during both the 1990 anti-Ershad movement and the 2024 July Uprising.

He said whenever authoritarian forces attempted to suppress the spirit achieved through the Liberation War, the people of Bangladesh had responded appropriately.

The minister also emphasized the importance of understanding Bangladesh's broader historical journey. He said the country's history cannot be understood by beginning it solely with the July Uprising of 2024.

“To understand Bangladesh, we must know its thousand-year history as well as the history of struggle, sacrifice, and political evolution of this land,” he said.