BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed has said that in Bangladesh, people should not identify themselves by their religious affiliation, but as Bangladeshis.
“Everyone in this country will freely practice their respective religions. But, irrespective of their religion, we are all citizens of Bangladesh. So, we should not identify ourselves by our religions, but as citizens of this country,” he said.
The BNP leader made the remarks on Monday night while extending greetings to the Hindu community at the Dhakeshwari Puja Mandap in the capital.
Reaffirming his party’s position, Salahuddin said, “The policy of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party is that religion is personal to each individual, but the state belongs to all of us, the right to security belongs to all of us. And we must ensure that security.”
He accused a certain section of the population of trying to divide the nation on religious grounds and obstructing participatory elections. “We are noticing that a group and a political party want to create division in the nation on the basis of religion, to spread disunity. We have been struggling for 16 years to restore democratic rights. While some may attempt to delay and obstruct the election, the people of Bangladesh will surely reject them,” he further added.
He also assured that the legitimate demands of the Hindu community would be reflected in the BNP manifesto. “At the time of preparing the election manifesto, we will discuss with your leaders and include those just demands,” he added.
The BNP leader also directed party activists to ensure security during Durga Puja celebrations. “As long as the Durga Puja celebrations continue, our leaders and activists across the country will guard the festival and ensure security,” he said.
BNP Chairperson’s Advisory Council member Abdus Salam also spoke at the event. Later, Salahuddin Ahmed and other BNP leaders visited the Puja Mandap in Banani.
