Bangladesh Drops Bangabandhu From Taka. Hindu, Buddhist Heritage Showcased

Bangladesh's interim government has taken another step in eroding the legacy of 'Bangabandhu' Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of the nation. On Monday, Muhammad Yunus, the chief adviser of Bangladesh, unveiled new currency notes that will soon come into circulation - however, these won't feature Bangabandhu on it.

Critics of the Yunus Government see this as an effort to wipe out the legacy of the Father of the Nation. This comes after other similar steps, like rewriting history books and diluting Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's contribution in Bangladesh's freedom struggle, and removing his statues from several prominent locations.

Instead of Sheikh Mujib, the redesigned Taka notes feature the cultural landmarks of Bangladesh. Since 1971, when Bangladesh gained independence from West Pakistan, Sheikh Mujibur Rehman's image has featured on all banknotes.

Justifying the decision to remove Bangabandhu's image, authorities in Bangladesh say that the move is a step towards depoliticising national symbols amid heightened political tension in the country. 

Besides landmarks of historical and cultural significance to Islam, the new banknotes, authorities say, also include images of Hindu and Buddhist temples. This comes at a time when Dhaka is facing international pressure over the plight of minorities in Bangladesh.

Earlier this year, while announcing the new banknotes, the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus had said that they will incorporate the "historical and archaeological architecture of Bangladesh".

Giving a glimpse of what the new currency notes would look like, Mr Yunus wrote on social media platform X that he had been "handed over images of six newly designed banknotes following a meeting of the advisory council" at his Office today.

Bangladesh Bank governor Dr Ahsan H. Mansur, accompanied by Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed, Law Adviser Asif Nazrul, Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Affairs Adviser Supradip Chakma and Local Government Adviser Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan, handed over images of six newly designed… pic.twitter.com/XBr6wQD2ul

— Chief Adviser of the Government of Bangladesh (@ChiefAdviserGoB) June 2, 2025

Arif Hossain Khan, spokesperson of Bangladesh Bank - the country's central bank - told news agency AFP that "Under the new series and design, the notes will not feature any human portraits, but will instead showcase natural landscapes and traditional landmarks."

Releasing notes for three denominations - Taka 1000, Taka 50, and Taka 20 - Bangladesh Bank said that all existing banknotes and coins featuring Sheikh Mujibur Rahman will also remain in circulation alongside the new notes.

In April this year, an order by the interim government to halt the issue of currency notes featuring Bangabandhu had led to the abrupt halt in printing and circulating cash in the country. This led to a shortfall of currency notes in the market.

According to sources, Bangladesh Bank reports an annual demand for 1.5 billion new bank notes of different denominations. The country does not have the capacity to replace the existing currency notes, especially in the informal economy which forms around an estimated 40 per cent of GDP of the country largely dependent on cash transactions.