On February 21, 2026, Bangladesh’s Minister of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, faced public criticism after comments he made during a Language Martyrs’ Day and International Mother Language Day event in Sirajganj. Speaking as the chief guest at the District Shilpakala Academy auditorium, he said that to truly embrace Bengali as the mother tongue, the slogan 'Inquilab Zindabad' should not be used, as it is not part of the Bengali language.

Following his remarks, Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan and Nasiruddin Patwari posted Facebook statuses protesting the minister’s statement. Asif Mahmud questioned whether the minister felt discomfort hearing 'Inquilab Zindabad' but not 'Bangladesh Zindabad', while Nasiruddin Patwari wrote a post supporting the disputed slogan and criticizing extortion. Earlier, Hasnat Abdullah had also posted a similar protest on Facebook.

The incident drew attention on social media, highlighting differing opinions on linguistic expression and national identity during the observance of International Mother Language Day.