Prime Minister Tarique Rahman today (19 October) called on people of all religions to work together to build Bangladesh, saying everyone should be recognised first and foremost as a Bangladeshi, regardless of religious identity.
"This country belongs to you and me. Let us all work together, shoulder to shoulder, to build the country," he said while addressing members of the Hindu community during a visit to the Dhakeshwari National Temple in the capital on the occasion of Durga Puja.
The prime minister said religion might differ, but the state belongs to everyone, and every citizen has equal rights.
Ensuring the security of all citizens is the responsibility of the state, he said.
"Religion may be different – I may follow one religion and you another. But the state belongs to all of us. In Bangladesh, you have rights just as I do. You have duties towards this country, just as I do," Tarique Rahman said.
He said the state is responsible for ensuring everyone's security, while citizens also have a responsibility to look after one another and work together to take the country forward.
"We are all children of this country, its people and Bangladeshis. We are all human beings. That is our foremost identity," the prime minister said.
Recalling the 1971 War of Liberation, he said people fought for the country's independence without asking whether their fellow fighters were Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists or Christians.
Tarique Rahman said people also stood together, irrespective of religion, during movements to restore democracy and establish political and voting rights.
Referring to the mass uprising of 5 August, 2024, he said thousands and hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets without asking one another about their religious identities.
"People of all religions were there that day," the prime minister said, adding that the July Uprising Memorial, which he inaugurated at Osmani Udyan earlier in the day, commemorated people from different religious communities who sacrificed their lives for people's rights.
He urged people to remain united in working for the country's development, saying everyone will benefit if Bangladesh and the lives of its people improve.
"When someone suffers, we do not look at their religion. Likewise, when people are doing well, we do not look at their religion. We see that you are human, and I am human," Tarique Rahman said.
He called upon people to recognise and respect one another as fellow human beings and citizens of Bangladesh.
Extending greetings to members of the Hindu community on Durga Puja, the prime minister described the occasion as a celebration of joy and togetherness.
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed and Social Welfare Minister Dr AZM Zahid Hossain also spoke at the programme.