The non-communal and religious people of Bangladesh will thwart any conspiracy to ruin the country’s tradition of communal harmony, BNP Acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has said.
Speaking after visiting Durga Puja mandap at Jagannath Hall of Dhaka University on Monday, he highlighted the nation’s long-standing heritage of unity.
“It is a thousand-year-old tradition in Bangladesh that people of different communities have lived together in harmony. We have always participated in each other’s festivals,” he said.
Rizvi noted that Bangladeshis have long taken part in various religious and cultural celebrations together, saying that no one will be able to destroy this tradition through conspiracies.
Highlighting former president Ziaur Rahman’s concept of Bangladeshi nationalism, the BNP leader explained that this nationalism encompasses people of all communities.
Comparing Bangladeshi society to a garden decorated with diverse flowers, he emphasised that the religious beliefs and rights of all communities must be protected.
Rizvi stressed that ensuring a peaceful and safe environment for celebrating Durga Puja is a responsibility of the state.
“Everyone may have their own religion and beliefs, but before the state, everyone has equal rights,” he quoted Tarique Rahman as saying, adding that BNP firmly believes in this principle.
Pointing to various steps taken by the government, he said the rice allocation for Puja mandaps and temples has been increased from 500kg to 600kg.
Additionally, an initiative to provide a monthly government honourarium to temple priests and attendants is currently being implemented.
