Prime Minister Tareque Rahman has stated that it is his responsibility as head of government to ensure the fair rights and security of every individual as a citizen of the country, rather than based on religious identity. He affirmed that the government would make its utmost effort to secure the rightful entitlements of all citizens, regardless of religion or caste.
The Prime Minister made these remarks on Monday (October 12) during an exchange of views with leaders of the Hindu community from the Dhaka-17 constituency at his office in the Cabinet Division of the Bangladesh Secretariat.
Tareque Rahman stated, “As a citizen of the country, as a human being, whatever rights you possess, whatever you are entitled to, and whatever my duty is as head of government, I am striving to fulfill that.”
Recalling the contributions of people of all faiths to the country’s independence and democratic movements, the Prime Minister mentioned that his father participated in the Liberation War. In that war, people from all communities — Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians — fought together. Similarly, people from all religions and castes participated in the mass movements of 1990 and 2024.
He said, “When we did not consider religion during the nation’s critical junctures, why should we consider religion in other matters? We liberated the country together. We all participated in the movement to establish democracy.”
The Prime Minister also brought up the issue of activists from various religions being subjected to persecution during political movements under the Awami League government. He stated that Hindu community activists were similarly persecuted alongside Muslim activists, with no distinction based on religious identity.
The Prime Minister stated, “I personally believe that Allah has given me an opportunity. From my position, I will strive to ensure as much security as possible within my power for everyone, not in terms of religion, but as human beings.”
Highlighting various initiatives taken by the government for the welfare of the Hindu community, Tareque Rahman said that the government has taken several steps within a short period. Efforts are underway to address some more issues. These initiatives reflect the government’s goodwill.
During the exchange of views, leaders of the Hindu community thanked the Prime Minister for the decision to increase Puja holidays and government grants. Concurrently, representatives from eight temples in the Dhaka-17 constituency invited him to participate in their Pujas.
The leaders reported that since the national parliamentary elections, they have been living peacefully and have not faced any problems. They also expressed the view that their decision to support the BNP was correct. Representatives of the Hindu community assured their continued support and cooperation to the government.
Attendees at the meeting included Ramesh Dutta, a member of the BNP Executive Committee; Alok Saha, President of the Gulshan-Banani Sarbajanin Puja Foundation; Jibon Kanai Das, President of the Baridhara DOHS Puja Committee; British Chandra Karmakar, Narayan Chandra Saha, Pradip Chandra Das, Shikha Rani Das, Shyamol Kumar Das, and Rajiv Kumar Acharya.
Also present were Abdur Rahman Sunny, representative of Dhaka-17 constituency MP Tareque Rahman, and Shafiquzzaman Ratan, Treasurer of Banani Society.
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