Staff Reporter //

‘Currently, the Awami League and Sheikh Hasina are conspiring against Bangladesh while sitting in a neighboring country in various ways to create an unstable situation in the country. We must be careful that minorities do not fall into that conspiracy. We must rise above party affiliation and build the country with everyone.’

The speakers said these things at a discussion meeting titled ‘What to do to protect communal harmony in Bangladesh’ at the Tafazzal Hossain Manik Mia Hall of the National Press Club in Rajni on Saturday. The meeting was organized by the Bangladesh National Hindu Mahajot.

The speakers said, ‘During the previous Awami League government, Hindus were continuously tortured. Their property was looted. But no minority torture was prosecuted. The Awami League was the instigator of every incident, including the 1991 incident. So in the future, minorities should not be the puppets of any political party.’

They said, ‘The Awami League is still trying to destabilize the country by using religious minorities in Bangladesh as a political shield. However, it could not have done so if the separate election system had continued. The Hindu community is heading towards extinction day by day due to lack of representation. In 1947, the number of Hindus in this country was 33 percent. Statistics for 2023 say that now it is only 7.95 percent. That is, if this situation continues, this country will be devoid of Hindus in the next 20-22 years.’

The speakers also said, ‘BNP and Awami League did not give proportional representation to minorities during their rule. Minority representation from other parties is also uncertain. In other words, whoever comes to power in the future, minorities will remain unrepresented in the National Parliament.

Regarding the condemnation of the minority oppression issue in Bangladesh by the outside world, they said, “Bangladesh’s dignity, all its achievements are being destroyed by the minority oppression issue. Leaving behind a thousand years of communal harmony, Bangladesh is being labeled as militant and fundamentalist. However, Bangladesh is a country of thousand years of communal harmony.

Alleging that Hindu villages have been burned down in different parts of the country during the last 15 years of Awami League rule under the pretext of insulting religion, the speakers said, “Investigations have revealed that the Awami League was the instigator of every incident, including the 1991 incident. Workers of other parties also participated in it. That is why no party has judged any incident.’

Participating in the discussion meeting, BNP’s Joint International Affairs Secretary Barrister Rumin Farhana said, ‘When the Awami League was in power, there was continuous oppression of minorities. At that time, the minority brothers and sisters silently endured that oppression. At that time, I saw other organizations playing the role of silent spectators. In Bangladesh, no Hindu, Buddhist, or Christian was safe for the last 15 years. Only those who were associated with Awami politics, their looting, and division were safe. Because the Awami League knows that most of the minority votes will go to their house. So if there is a vote, then there is a Yogi. That was their main motto.’

He said, ‘In Kotalipara, Gopalganj, Sheikh Hasina’s Peer’s people had occupied bigha after bigha of land belonging to Hindus. They were not given any money. Would it have been possible for Benazir to occupy that place without the Awami League’s behest?’
Rumin said, ‘When the Awami League was in power, it used to say that if they were not in power, Bangladesh would be a place of militancy. If Sheikh Hasina is not there, Bangladesh will be taken over by Islamists. To prove this lie that no minority will be safe, Awami League and Sheikh Hasina have been trying to destabilize Bangladesh with the help of India since the first day (August 5).’

Urging on Hindus, he said, ‘You should not be puppets in the game of any particular party. Your votes are very valuable. We should not have to beg for votes from you. We should not be sure in advance that we will get these votes. We will get them even if we occupy their houses and land – this is their confidence! Where else will the votes go except me, find this place. You will vote for the candidate you like in your area. You will vote for those who will stand by you. Do not become a vote bank for any party.’

Barrister Rumin said, ‘In the last 15 years, we have seen posts suddenly appearing on Facebook, burning down neighborhood after neighborhood for insulting religion. In Nasirnagar and Jessore in Brahmanbaria, no man could stay at home. After the attack on the puja in Abhaynagar, when I went there, Hindu women expressed their inability to speak in front of the camera for fear of being arrested. In this way, minorities have been subjected to torture at the hands of the Awami League for the last 15 years.’

In the main article at the discussion meeting, Govinda Pramanik said, ‘We want a permanent solution to the minority problem in Bangladesh. We want to build a grave for those who have used minorities as political shields and taken political advantage by promoting fundamentalism and militancy in the country and abroad, and are destabilizing the country, and that will be possible through the re-implementation of separate election systems.’

He also said, ‘Seats must be reserved for minority communities in proportion to population. The rival parties will nominate members according to the votes they receive from all over the country. Among them, the voters of the minority communities will directly elect representatives of their respective communities.

Moderated by journalist Sujan Dey and chaired by Bangladesh National Hindu Mahajot President Advocate Dwinabandhu Roy, the discussion meeting was also addressed by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General Advocate Ehsanul Mahbub Jobayer, Islami Andolan Bangladesh Presidium Member Professor Ashraf Ali Akon and Joint Secretary General Gazi Ataur Rahman, Bangla Foundation Chief Executive and Supreme Court Lawyer Abu Hena Razzaqi, Shri Krishna Seva Sangha President Nakul Saha, Dainik Samakal Senior Reporter Rajib Ahmed, Hindu Mahajot Executive President Advocate Pradeep Kumar Pal, Vice President Dulal Mondal, Tarun Ghosh, Joint Secretary General Dr. Hemanta Das, Sanjay Falia, Bishwanath Mohanty, Hindu Mahajot Women’s Affairs Secretary Advocate Pratibha Bakchi, among others.

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