Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on Friday called for resisting the defeated and communal ill forces of 71' under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

"The victory of the Liberation War has not yet been consolidated. Therefore, under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, a united resistance must be built against the defeated and communal ill forces of 71'," he said.

Quader, also the AL general secretary, said these while talking to reporters after laying wreaths at the National Memorial in Savar on the outskirts of the capital marking the Great Victory Day.

He underscored the need for raising the strength of the pro-liberation forces as the communal-power; militancy and BNP are still active to thwart the victory of the country.

Mentioning that the communalism is the major obstacle in consolidating the victory (of the country), he slammed BNP as it (BNP) is inciting the ill-forcers against the country.

"This poisonous tree must be uprooted. BNP is hatching conspiracies with the help of the communal forces. These forces must be defeated. This is our commitment to victory," he added.

Earlier, President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid glowing tributes to the martyrs of the 1971 Liberation War by placing wreaths at the National Memorial in Savar on the outskirts of the capital this morning marking the 52nd Victory Day.

The Head of the State placed the wreaths at the altar of the National Memorial at about 6.32am followed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

After placing the wreaths, both the President and the Premier stood in solemn silence for a while as a mark of deep respect to the memories of the martyrs of the 1971 Liberation War.

A smartly turned out contingent drawn from the Bangladesh Army, Navy and Air Force presented the state salute on the occasion, as the bugles played the last post.

Flanked by senior leaders of the party, Sheikh Hasina, also the President of the ruling Awami League (AL), laid another wreaths at the National Memorial as the party chief.
Later, leaders of other political and socio-cultural organisations placed wreaths at the National Memorial to show the respect to the memories of the war martyrs.

Then, the premier went to Dhanmondi Road No 32 in the capital and laid separate wreaths as Prime Minister and President of the Awami League at the portrait of the Father of the Nation in front of Bangabandhu Memorial Museum there to pay homage to the Architect of the Independence Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
 
After placing the wreath, she stood in solemn silence for some time as a mark of profound respect to the memories of the Father of the Nation.

The nation is celebrating the 52nd Victory Day today, the most precious day of Bangalee people, as the country was liberated from the Pakistani occupation forces on the day in 1971 after a nine-month long bloodstained Liberation War.