Dhaka, Feb. 21 -- Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku has said that the Bengali language has no connection with the words 'Inqilab' and 'Azadi'.

"If the people of Bangladesh truly embrace Bangla as their mother tongue, slogans like 'Inqilab Zindabad' should not continue," he said at a discussion held on the occasion of Martyrs' Day and International Mother Language Day at the Sirajganj District Shilpakala Academy auditorium on Saturday afternoon, UNB reports.

The minister said that today's children often say 'Inqilab Zindabad', but it is the language of those who once tried to take away the right to speak Bangla. "It makes my heart bleed to hear them say 'Inqilab Zindabad'. I consider myself a nationalis...