Dhaka //

Acting Chairman of BNP Tariq Rahman urged the Hindu community to celebrate Durga Puja without fear. He said, “Religious minority means there is no reason to feel weak.” This Bangladesh is yours, mine, all of us. Every citizen of Bangladesh will enjoy equal rights in all fields—that is the policy of BNP, that is the politics of BNP. Our party BNP believes that party-faith-religion belongs to each, state belongs to everyone. Religion belongs to everyone, everyone has the right to security.

Tariq Rahman said this in a greeting ceremony at the party chairperson’s office in Gulshan on the occasion of Janmashtami of the Hindu community on Friday (September 20) afternoon. Hundreds of representatives of the Hindu community from all over the country participated in the event. Tariq Rahman wishes everyone on Durga Puja in advance.
Tariq Rahman blamed the fallen Sheikh Hasina government for the incidents of attacks on minorities in the last 15 and a half years. He said that the past illegal and undemocratic governments have tried to create communal situations at various times to divert people’s attention from their own rule-exploitation, and in some cases they are still trying to do so. If we objectively review the attacks on the minority communities or their religious institutions in the country during the 15 years of the ousted dictatorship’s misrule, we will see that not a single attack was carried out on religious grounds. Rather, it is said that the political party, their nefarious political purpose was the reason behind these attacks.

There has never, ever been a situation of communal riots or attacks in Bangladesh – the Acting Chairman of the BNP said, “I firmly believe, I see no reason for this to happen in the future. Many of you would probably agree with the fact that most attacks on minorities in Bangladesh, with only a few exceptions, were not religiously motivated. Rather, if we look closely, most of these attacks are attacks by the powerful on the weak for illegal greed and profit. And there are dishonest political motives behind it.

Tariq Rahman said, ‘The motto of our liberation war was equality, human dignity, social justice. Freedom fighters freed Bangladesh at the cost of millions of lives to build an independent state and society in which every citizen, regardless of religion, caste, religion or caste, would enjoy their religious, political, cultural and social rights freely without any hindrance. Who is a Muslim, who is a Hindu, who is a Buddhist, who is a Christian – there was no such question during the liberation war.

This BNP leader said, “There is no reason to worry about minority or majority in our independent Bangladesh.” Irrespective of religion-caste, Bengali-non-Bengali, believer-non-believer or reformist, the only identity of every citizen is that we are Bangladeshis.

Referring to the rule of Sheikh Hasina’s government, Tarek Rahman said that SK Sinha had to suffer injustice even as the Chief Justice because there was no rule of law in the country for the last 15 years. During the runaway dictatorship, the court and the mirror became one. Therefore, there is no alternative to establish the rule of law in the state and society in order to ensure the rights and safety of every citizen regardless of minority or majority, party-like, religion-caste.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir presided over the event. He said that the politics of BNP is the politics of harmony, politics with everyone. Founder of BNP martyred President Ziaur Rahman did the same politics.

Alleging that a conspiracy was started involving the minority community, Mirza Fakhrul said, “A conspiracy has been started today in a very planned way. A terrible monster was defeated through an incredible revolution, student movement and 15 years of struggle. Then there was a planned conspiracy to thwart this revolution. There is no way to deny it and unfortunately there has been an attempt to do so by implicating you.’

Referring to the events after August 5, Mirza Fakhrul said, “Journalists from India came, we tried to tell everyone that what happened as a result of this change (fall of the government) is completely political – it is not communal.”

Referring to the Pahari-Bengali conflict in Chittagong Hill Tracts, Fakhrul said, ‘Today the same plot has started again in Chittagong Hill Tracts. Don’t isolate things. A similar conspiracy has started in Chittagong today. We must stand against them.

The Secretary General of BNP said, “We became independent by fighting in 1971. On that day Hindu-Muslim-Buddhist-Christian stood side by side. We will stand together again and defend that freedom. Those who are plotting, they have to be defeated by all united.

BNP Standing Committee Member Khandkar Mosharraf Hossain, Vice Chairman Nitai Roy Chowdhury, Gano Forum General Secretary Subrata Chowdhury, Chairman’s Advisory Council Member Sukomal Barua, Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Welfare Front Chairman Bijan Kanti Sarkar, Senior Joint Secretary General Milton Vaidya, President of Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad Nirmal Rosario, President of Bangladesh Puja Udyapan Parishad Basu Dev Dhar, General Secretary Santosh Sharma etc.