Maulana Abdur Rashid Tarkabagish

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Maulana Abdur Rashid Tarkabagish (1900-1986) was a Bangladeshi politician and parliamentarian. He was born in Tarulia village of Sirajganj district. Tarkabagish took part in the Khilafat and Non-Cooperation Movement during his student life. He helped to gain public support and was arrested for six months. Later he got admitted to the Deoband Madrasa of North India. Once he performed extremely well in debating competition and got the award 'tarkabagish' meaning the master debater.

Tarkabagish joined the Muslim League in 1936. From the party he participated in the election and earned his place in the Bengal Legislative Assembly in 1937 and in 1946. Abdur Rashid Tarkabagish protested the police firing on and killing of students on 21 February 1952, in the assembly. He walked out of the assembly, and subsequently resigned from the Muslim League Parliamentary party. He also made his speech in Bangla in respect to his mother tongue and martyrs of the language movement. He was arrested on February 23 and kept in jail until July 1. Then he joined Awami Muslim League and was again elected a member of the assembly in 1954 from United Front. He was also elected as the member of the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan in 1956.

Tarkabagish presided over at the first session of the Jatiya Sangsad of Bangladesh in 1972. He was again elected a member from Awami League in 1973. After the incidents in 1975, Tarkabagish himself formed a party named Gano Azadi League in 1976. During the autocratic regime of Ershad he formed a 15 party alliance that took part in the movement against him. Tarkabagish died in Dhaka on August 20, 1986. He was honored with Independence Day award in 2000.