On behalf of the BNP, the party's Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, extended greetings and congratulations to the Hindu community on the occasion of the Durga Puja festival.
He said: "I can say this much: just as we had been with you in the past, standing by you in every difficulty, we will continue to do so in the future as well."
Mirza Fakhrul made these remarks on Wednesday morning after visiting the Durga Puja pavilion at the Dhakeshwari National Temple.
During his visit, he exchanged greetings with representatives of the Hindu community on the occasion of Durga Puja.
Referring to the fall of a "demonic" force through a student and public uprising, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said: "Goddess Durga has appeared on Earth to slay demonic forces and to establish fraternity and harmony among people. She has come to build a society of love and compassion, free from hatred, revenge, and animosity. Today, we have the opportunity to make that happen."
Without directly mentioning the Awami League, Mirza Fakhrul said: "They claim to be the best friends of the minority communities. But if you look at the past incidents, you will see that their people were at the forefront of those events. Whenever land and property were seized from your community in Bangladesh, they were behind it. I can assure you that when our government comes to power, we will conduct impartial investigations into every incident and ensure justice."
He also emphasized the need to seize this opportunity for change. Mentioning that the country belongs to everyone, not just one group, Fakhrul said: "We fought the Liberation War in 1971 with the aim of building a truly secular and democratic state and society in Bangladesh. We are working towards that goal."
It is noteworthy that after the fall of the Awami League government, many people from the minority community were attacked in violent incidents. Subsequently, organizations representing the minority community launched a movement with eight demands, including justice and compensation for those incidents.
Commenting on this, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul said, "We are certainly considering your eight demands. We have the utmost sympathy for the core issues."
He also mentioned that during the period of public desire for change after the uprising, some foreign media spoke against Bangladesh's communal harmony, which he said was entirely untrue. "I'm not saying that no incidents occurred. Some incidents did happen, but they were not entirely communal; they were political," he said.
Mirza Fakhrul also demanded that the government provide compensation to the victims from the minority community and called for compensation and support for those injured in the student-public movement.
During the event, BNP Chairperson's Advisor Abdus Salam, Standing Committee Member AZM Zahid Hossain and other party members were present, along with leaders from the Hindu community.