Matia Chowdhury embraced public service as the mission of her life

The passing of Matia Chowdhury, famously known as the "Agni Kanya" (Daughter of Fire), marks the fall of a shining star in Bangladesh’s political sphere. Throughout her long political career, Matia Chowdhury made significant contributions to the socio-economic development of the country. Completely indifferent to wealth and riches, she was a symbol of honesty and integrity in her personal life. Despite holding positions like the Minister of Agriculture three times and various other responsibilities, she was never accused of corruption or nepotism. A key organizer of the Liberation War, Matia Chowdhury led a simple and humble life, free from any luxury or extravagance.

I believe that the life and ideals of this great political figure will inspire future generations of politicians in the country. Due to my political affiliations, I had the opportunity to be in her company.

Matia Chowdhury was a selfless politician who played a pioneering role in the movements and struggles since the 1960s. Her bold contribution during the 1969 mass uprising earned her the title of "Agni Kanya." She was never afraid to speak out against injustice and played an important role during the 11-point student movement. I never saw her exhibit any desire to accumulate wealth. She lived a very simple life, and I visited her home several times. Her home did not have any luxurious furniture, just the kind typically found in a middle-class family.

During the student movements in the 1960s, a division arose within the Student Union. When a conflict between the Peking and Moscow factions emerged, Matia Chowdhury took leadership of the Moscow-aligned Student Union. At that time, the factions were commonly referred to as the Matia Group and the Menon Group. However, when the Liberation War began and China’s negative stance towards it became clear, the Menon Group within the Student Union showed differences of opinion regarding the war. Some from the China-aligned Student Union even described the war as "a fight between two dogs," opposing the Liberation War. The public never took their anti-war stance favorably. However, a section of the China-aligned faction, led by Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, continued to fight in the Liberation War from Narsingdi's Shibpur. They argued that they would fight from within the country, not by going to India. Though they were generally aligned with the Peking faction, during the war they didn’t support China's anti-war position.

Still, they didn’t join the Awami League-led fighters in India either. They attempted to establish Shibpur as a base for the Liberation War. Their main leader, Mannan Bhuiyan, later joined the BNP. On the other hand, it is said that Rashed Khan Menon and others, including Ronu, tried to work out something different during the war by negotiating with Indian authorities. However, their efforts didn’t succeed, and the official Liberation War led by the provisional government became the main effort. Under Matia Chowdhury's leadership, the Student Union actively participated in and made significant contributions to the war. Later, the National Awami Party (NAP), the Communist Party, and the Student Union formed a separate guerrilla force, supported by the Soviet Union. The Indian government also accepted these leftist guerrillas, although tensions occasionally arose between them and the mainstream Mukti Bahini (Liberation Army) led by the Awami League, sometimes leading to conflict.

During the Liberation War, Matia Chowdhury stayed at the Craft Hostel in Agartala. I was there too, so I had the opportunity to witness her contributions firsthand. The camp was run under the leadership of Gyan Chakraborty. Matia Chowdhury was actively involved in every aspect of the camp’s operations, from baking bread for the freedom fighters to handling daily responsibilities. Her husband, Bazlur Rahman, was also in Agartala during the war. Together, they managed activities at the camp. The couple’s wedding anniversary was even celebrated at the camp. After the war, we returned to Bangladesh. In post-independence Bangladesh, NAP, under the leadership of Professor Mozaffar Ahmed and Matia Chowdhury, took on the role of the main opposition party against the Awami League government. During that time, Suranjit Sengupta was NAP's nominated Member of Parliament. Sengupta was an extremely experienced parliamentarian, and he proposed several important amendments. When Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman advised the leader of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Manabendra Narayan Larma, to assimilate as Bengali, there was a strong reaction. NAP supported Larma during that time.

When BAKSAL was formed, several progressive programs were adopted, including the establishment of mandatory cooperatives, decentralization, and a stance against corruption and nepotism. A national party was formed, which included the Communist Party and NAP, and Motia Chowdhury became a member of BAKSAL. However, after the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on August 15, 1975, these parties distanced themselves from BAKSAL. Since Motia Chowdhury had built a good relationship with the Awami League during this time, she eventually joined the party. Although BAKSAL activities continued under Abdur Razzaq’s leadership for a while, they did not achieve much success. When four leaders were killed in jail, Abdul Malek Ukil and Zohra Tajuddin, among others, took over the leadership of the Awami League. By then, Motia Chowdhury was probably still in NAP. After Sheikh Hasina took over the leadership of the Awami League, Motia Chowdhury joined the party at some point, with the aim of building a strong public movement against militarism.

What kind of person was Matia Chowdhury? Despite joining the Bangladesh Awami League, she never had any attachment to wealth or material possessions. There was no luxury in her life. When I visited her house, I often had to sit on a simple stool. Matia Chowdhury had no children, and after the death of her husband Bazlur Rahman, she became somewhat reclusive. She ate very simple food. She had a cat, which she loved dearly and spent her time with. Honest and responsible politicians like Matia Chowdhury are rare in our country. If she had wanted, she could have accumulated enormous wealth, but she chose not to. She always wished for the welfare of the poor and worked for them.

Matia Chowdhury embraced public service as her life's mission and emerged as a politician through struggle and activism. As Minister of Agriculture, she made sincere efforts to address the problems of agriculture and farmers. Coming from a rural background, she was well aware of the challenges faced by farmers and worked to resolve them.

During her tenure as Minister of Agriculture, she formed the Agricultural Reform Commission. I translated the Agricultural Reform Commission’s report into Bengali. At that time, I saw firsthand how deeply she understood the problems of farmers and worked to find solutions. Today, Bangladesh is nearly self-sufficient in food production, and Matia Chowdhury played a significant role in achieving this success. Despite pressure from development partners like the World Bank and IMF to stop subsidies in the agricultural sector, she did not give in. Bangladesh is reaping the benefits of that decision today.

Dr. M M Akash: Economist and retired professor of the Department of Economics, University of Dhaka
Transcribed by M A Khaleque