Dhaka, Feb. 21 -- Power Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud has rejected slogans such as "Inqilab Zindabad", emphasising that they have no roots in Bengal and belong to those who once sought to suppress the Bengali language.

Speaking at a Language Martyrs' Day and International Mother Language Day event in Sirajganj, he said the nation must advance with a firm embrace of its own language and identity, rather than adopting foreign or historically imposed slogans.

"If we are to truly honour Bengal, to call Bengali our mother tongue, slogans such as 'Inqilab Zindabad' cannot guide us. 'Inqilab Zindabad' or 'Inqilab Moncho' have no connection to our language or heritage -- they belong to those who once tried to take our mother tongue away," he said...