Leaders of a dozen minority groups from a joint rally in the capital yesterday placed a seven-point charter of demands that include 20% representation in parliament, government jobs and political parties.
They also warned the government of waging a movement if the demands were not met which they said could resolve the persistent discrimination towards the minority communities.
Rana Das Gupta, general secretary of Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad, read out the demands at the rally at Suhrawardy Udyan also attended by the members of adivasi communities from the Chittagong Hill Tracts and the plains.
Their other demands include establishing a parliamentary commission to find out the reasons why the number of minority people was decreasing since 1947. The government should establish secular political culture and resolve the land-related disputes through the Vested Property (Return) Act and the CHT Land Dispute Resolution Act.
The speakers also criticised the government for not having a minister from the minority communities and demanded 60 seats from the minority groups. They demanded that the government recruit teachers in the schools where students of other religious study.
Rana Das urged the government to investigate the incidents of attacks perpetrated on the religious minorities and ensure that the culprits are punished.
Dr Mizanur Rahman, chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, said that the government would have to prove through their work that they are working for a secular country.
He also demanded that the government implement the 1997 CHT Peace Accord, fulfil the Vested Property (Return) Act and bring to book those who grab the lands of the minorities.
Senior Awami League leader Suranjit Sengupta deplored that there was no minister from the minority communities though a minority-friendly government had been in power because the spirit of the Liberation War was not seen among the party leaders these days.
“The government has done very little in the last seven years though it is well-known that the minorities were suppressed across the country,” he said.
The former minister said that recruitment of members from the minority communities was very rare while they do not get bank loans and other facilities to run businesses.
Urging the government to realise the demands within six months, Suranjit said if the current situation did not change in the next 10 years, there would be no religious minorities in the country and an Afghanistan-like democracy would prevail.
