Jamaat-e-Islami reserved-seat lawmaker Mardia Momtaz has proposed reforming and converting the “Mujib Corners” set up at government and private libraries and primary schools nationwide into “Liberation War and July Corners.”
She raised the proposal Monday (Sept. 7) during a supplementary question to Cultural Affairs Minister Nitai Roy Chowdhury in the third session of the 13th parliament.
In response, the culture minister welcomed the proposal, asking her to provide a written outline and a list of libraries, and promising to take prompt action on the matter following discussion. Raising the supplementary question in parliament, Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker Mardia Momtaz said “Mujib Corners” were set up at government and private libraries and primary schools nationwide under a project costing 225 million taka during the previous fascist government’s tenure. She said that although the signage or headings for these corners were removed after the August 2024 mass uprising, the libraries themselves currently sit unguarded and neglected. Citing various newspaper reports, the Jamaat lawmaker said the project had supplied about 65,700 copies of books, covering just eight specific subjects, including one titled “Bangabandhu’s Favorite Foods.”
Mardia Momtaz drew the culture minister’s attention and proposed that if these libraries and corners were reformed and converted into “July Corners” commemorating the great Liberation War and the July 2024 uprising, it would serve the long-term welfare of the country’s people. She asked the minister whether the government had any plan or is considering this.
Responding to the lawmaker’s proposal, Cultural Affairs Minister Nitai Roy Chowdhury reacted positively. He asked MP Mardia Momtaz to prepare a specific roadmap and a list of relevant libraries and submit them to him directly in writing.
Describing the state of the country’s libraries, the culture minister said government public libraries operate at the district and upazila level nationwide, while private libraries under the National Book Centre extend all the way down to the village level.
Assuring the lawmaker that her proposal would be taken very seriously, the minister said that once he receives the written proposal and list, he will discuss it in detail with officials at his ministry and take the necessary, effective action.