They said the occasion, in fact, calls for paying due tributes to JSD leader Colonel Taher who organised the glorious uprising of sepoy and Gonobahini activists to bring back discipline in the army.

The discussion was organised by Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) in observance of November 7 in the city.

"Observance of November 7 excluding Taher is a farce and betrayal to history," JSD President Hasanul Huq Inu said, adding, "Zia's family should pay homage to Taher in gratitude as the latter saved the former at a juncture of history."

"November 7 is a historical episode in Bangladesh's political history that testifies Taher as a true hero and Zia as a betrayer who killed at least 2,500 soldiers at different cantonments to suppress a glorious revolution aimed at establishing the ideals of the liberation war," Inu said.

"It is unfortunate that Major Ziaur Rahman resorted to treachery, and hanged Taher to clear his way to state power," said President of Colonel Taher Sangsad Kamal Lohani.

"Major Zia nipped the coup carried out by the gonobahini, eliminated revolutionary forces and hanged Colonel Taher just to harvest a political gain," said JSD leader Sharif Nurul Ambia.

Sayed Zafar Sajjad of JSD said Zia had a collusion with the rightist fundamentalist forces before he initiated a series of counter coups to foil Taher's revolutionary coup.

That the revolution failed and counter-revolution succeeded does not mean the ideals of the revolution have perished, said Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon.

JSD Executive President Mainuddin Khan Badal, Meer Hosain, Nazmul Huq Pradhan and Iqbal Hossain of JSD, Karim Shikdar of Jatiya Jubo Jote, and Prof Mezbah Kamal also spoke.