Minister Asserts Religious Harmony in Bangladesh
Bangladesh Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir stated on Wednesday that religious harmony prevails in the country following a meeting with Hindu leaders in Dhaka. The Minister, who also serves as Secretary General of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), emphasized that there are no significant challenges to communal peace.
Meeting with Sitakunda Shrine Committee
Alamgir, the Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives, told ANI that the meeting with the Sitakunda Shrine Committee focused on development issues. "We had a meeting with the Sitakunda Shrine Committee regarding the development of the shrine. There are a lot of problems there, previously. It was not done by the previous government. So we had a meeting along with the special adviser to the Prime Minister, Bijon Kanti Sarkar, and the leaders of this shrine committee," he said. He added that they have sorted out the issues and instructed the Local Government Secretary to take necessary action.
Total Harmony Despite Deliberate Attempts to Create Problems
"I don't think there is any challenge in this country. There is total harmony in this country. Unfortunately, some people deliberately try to create some problems, but as a whole, there is no problem in this country. There is total religious harmony in this country," Alamgir stated.
Discussion on Ram Temple and Statue
The meeting also addressed perceived disrespect towards Lord Ram and tensions from the construction of the Ram Temple. Bijon Kanti Sarkar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Religious Affairs, said, "We have been in communication with the gentleman who is building the statue of Ram, which is 81 feet tall. We are continuing discussions with them, and we will keep talking in order to resolve the issue through dialogue."
Long-Standing Minority Issues Being Addressed
Tapan Majumder, Vice Chairman of the Hindu Religion Welfare Trust, noted that many pending issues related to the minority community remain. "These are long-standing, with many different aspects. The previous government tried to address it, but couldn't find a resolution. Now, the current government has begun working on resolving these pending issues, so we will have to wait and see how these problems can be solved," he told ANI.
Development Plans for Sitakunda Shrine
Novelty Roy Uday, Convener of the Bangladesh Student Unity Council, Dhaka Metropolitan South, explained the purpose of the meeting: "Today we have come to meet the LGRD Minister, and the purpose was for the upcoming development of the Sitakunda Shrine Committee, and the stairs are going to be reformed, developed, and for the purposes of the devotees who have come from all around the country to the Sitakunda in Chandranath Dham. And mostly, all the people, nearly three to four million, are there for the visit during Shiv Chaturdashi. It's called about Shivratri in Bangladesh." He added that the Minister assured all responsibilities would be fulfilled soon.
Demands for Commission and Law to Protect Religious Structures
Sushmita Kar, spokesperson of the Minority Rights Movement, said, "We had a long discussion on various issues. As we have talked about, Chandranath Dham, we have talked about religious harmony, we have talked about mob violence, at the same time, we have talked about Gaibandha Palashbari issues. And on that time, we have strongly demanded that we need a commission for the prevention of religious violence, at the same time we need a law protecting religious structures." She also called for the development of a Sanskrit and Pali Education Board and prayer rooms for minorities in every university. "We have suggested him, we have asked him to visit Gaibandha Palashbari so that our people get hope that our government is with us," she added. Kar expressed hope that the BNP government would show differences and improve the situation for minorities.
