Power, Energy and Mineral Resources State Minister Anindya Islam Amit has alleged that the forces defeated in 1971 and during the 2024 uprising are trying to destabilise society, urging people to remain united against conspiracies and protect communal harmony.
He made the remarks while visiting Bahadurpur Sarbojanin Puja Mandir in Jashore Sadar today (20 October) to exchange greetings with Hindu devotees during Durga Puja.
"The defeated forces of 1971 and 2024 do not want peace and stability to prevail in society. They do not want you and me to live well. We must all remain alert so that these forces cannot join hands to destabilise society again," he said.
Amit called on people to work together to maintain peace and order in their areas and resist what he described as destructive forces and conspiracies.
He also urged people to keep mosques and temples outside politics and remain vigilant against attempts to exploit religion to create divisions among communities.
The minister said people should not be treated as weaker or stronger based on their religious or political identities.
"My child has as much right to this land of Jashore as your child does. Whether someone is Hindu or Muslim, or lives in the plains or the hills, should not be the deciding factor. We consider people as human beings," he said.
Amit claimed that the BNP did not believe in dividing people along religious lines, saying that party founder and late president Ziaur Rahman and former prime minister Khaleda Zia had taught the party to uphold this principle.
He said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman was following that example by supporting the development of mosques, temples, graveyards and cremation grounds without discrimination.
The state minister said the central spirit of the 2024 mass uprising was to build an equitable, humane and democratic Bangladesh, adding that the government was working towards that goal.
He also warned that drug dealers and criminals would have no place in the new Bangladesh, regardless of their political or family connections. He said the government was committed to eliminating such activities and urged people to support the prime minister's initiatives.
Amit said he had visited temples in at least 20 villages across his Jashore Sadar constituency since 9am on Tuesday, accompanied by party leaders and members of Puja celebration committees, exchanging greetings with members of the Hindu community.
Highlighting development plans for Jashore, he said work on a coronary care unit at the medical college hospital was expected to be completed soon to provide quality healthcare locally.
He also mentioned the science and technology university and medical college hospital as important institutions in the area's development plans.
Initiatives have also been taken to upgrade the local stadium and renovate the swimming pool, which had remained abandoned for a long time, he added.
District BNP President Advocate Syed Saberul Haque Sabu, General Secretary Delwar Hossain Khokon, Organising Secretary Engineer Rabiul Islam, former vice-president Golam Reza Dulu, former convening committee members Kazi Azam and Sirajul Islam, and other party leaders were present.
Also attending were Nirmal Kumar Bit, member secretary of the Jashore district Hindu Buddhist Christian Welfare Front, and Mintu Karmakar and Barun Karmakar, president and general secretary, respectively, of the Indigenous Temple Committee.