Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Friday said this year, under the BNP government, has witnessed the highest number of Durga Puja mandaps, the highest allocation of funds, the longest holidays and the biggest celebrations.
“The highest number of puja mandaps have been set up this time, the highest allocation has been made, the longest holidays have been given, and the celebrations are at their peak. The highest number of votes was also recorded this time, and it will happen again,” he said, while speaking as the chief guest during a visit to a Durga Puja mandap at Banani field in the capital on Friday night.
He stressed the importance of ensuring religious freedom, constitutional rights and security for people of all faiths in Bangladesh, saying there should be no discrimination on religious grounds.
The Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to practise religious rituals freely, worship according to their faith and establish places of worship, he said.
Salahuddin said it is unfortunate that the issue of security repeatedly came up during Durga Puja celebrations.
“It makes us feel bad when, during Durga Puja, we repeatedly hear calls to ensure security, celebrate Puja safely and cover everyone with a blanket of security,” he said.
He said people of all religions should be able to celebrate their respective festivals without hindrance, adding that a situation in which people had to seek security to observe religious festivals was regrettable for the country.
“It is very unfortunate for our national life that this issue continues to arise. This should never happen,” he said.
The minister said he preferred the term “religious harmony” to “communal harmony”, which he said was often used when discussing relations among people of different faiths.
He said people had not come together as separate communities and that the country's laws did not classify citizens on the basis of religious communities.
“We are all citizens of Bangladesh, and we all have equal rights,” he said.
The minister said people of all religions had equal rights as citizens and that such rights were recognised in countries around the world, regardless of which religion formed the majority.
He said people of the Hindu community should be regarded as followers of their religion, rather than as a separate community.
“Some people may regard you as a community, and many have used you in the past for political gain. We will not go into that issue,” he said.
“But as citizens of Bangladesh and as free citizens, you will judge for yourselves during which democratic period your democratic and constitutional rights remain protected. The decision is yours. You do not need to be anyone's vote bank. You are accountable to your own conscience,” he said.
The minister expressed hope that people would be able to celebrate Durga Puja and all other religious festivals freely, peacefully and joyfully this year, next year and in the years to come.
Earlier, Inspector General of Police Ali Hossain Fakir, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mosleh Uddin Ahmed, the British high commissioner, and the ambassadors of Canada, Norway, Switzerland and Nepal addressed the program.
