Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Thursday called on citizens to move beyond distinctions of “minority” and “majority”, saying people should primarily identify themselves as Bangladeshis and that everyone in the country was entitled to equal rights and security. Addressing a Janmashtami programme at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka, Rahman extended greetings to members of the Hindu community and urged people to strengthen religious harmony, tolerance and mutual respect. Janmashtami, marking the birth of Lord Krishna, will be celebrated on Friday.
Equal rights for all
Rahman said a state and society comprise people belonging to different religions and holding diverse viewpoints, describing this diversity as a strength. He argued that distinctions between minorities and majorities lose significance in an increasingly interconnected world and called upon citizens not to allow religious, ethnic or political identities to become grounds for discrimination. “This country belongs to you, to me, to all of us. As citizens, our rights in this country are equal,” Rahman said, asserting that practising one's religion and culture was a fundamental constitutional right. He stressed that religion was an individual matter while security was a right that must be enjoyed by everyone. The government, he said, was committed to protecting citizens regardless of their religious or ethnic background.
Warning against communal tensions
Rahman also urged Bangladeshis to remain vigilant against forces seeking to disturb communal harmony and create divisions in society.
He said people belonging to different religions and beliefs had lived together in Bangladesh for generations while practising their respective faiths and cultures with mutual respect and goodwill. The Prime Minister alleged that attempts were being made to spread rumours and provoke communal tensions, including through social media, and called upon citizens to prevent hatred from disturbing social peace.
Rahman also invoked the story of Lord Krishna and the tyrannical ruler Kansa, drawing a political parallel with Bangladesh's recent past. Without naming former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina directly, he referred to what he described as a “Kansa-like” authoritarian ruler who had deprived people of their democratic rights for more than a decade and a half. He said Bangladesh had now returned to the democratic path and should focus on rebuilding its economy, administration and law-and-order system.
The programme was organised by Bangladesh's Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Hindu Religious Welfare Trust and was attended by Hindu community representatives, religious leaders, priests, sebaits and other prominent citizens.
Rahman also distributed honorariums among priests and sebaits and urged members of the Hindu community to celebrate Janmashtami and the upcoming Durga Puja peacefully and without fear.