Shahinur Rahman Sona, Rajshahi

"Who is Hindu, who is Muslim, who is Christian, who is Buddhist — these are not matters of consideration for BNP as a political party. BNP is a party for all religions and ideologies. The Awami League has grabbed Hindu lands the most. No BNP leader has ever occupied their land." BNP is not a communal party. BNP never believes in communalism.

 This remarks  were made by Bir Muktijoddha Abdus Salam, a member of the advisory council to BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and the coordinator in charge of BNP's Rajshahi Division at 11:30 am on Friday. 

He said this  as the chief guest during a visit to Gaurangadev Sripat Khetur Dham in Godagari.

He said, through this, an attempt was made to make Bangladesh a communal country. In Bangladesh, there is no division among communities. Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, and other communities live together in unity. They are inhabitants of this country, they are owners of this country. Because Muslims never nurture the belief that only they are the owners of this country. He further stated that BNP does not want to turn any religious institution into a BNP institution.

He added, the fallen government has politicized Bangladesh’s mosques, temples, and all religious institutions. That is why when Sheikh Hasina was in hiding, many Imams had to flee as well. Religious institutions and places of worship should belong to everyone. There should be no politics there. In such places, no particular political party should practice politics, he stated. He said, just as Muslims pray to Allah, Hindus pray to Bhagwan. The most important thing is to understand oneself. He said, no religion is bad, and no religion supports injustice. There is no discrimination among people of any religion in Bangladesh. Everyone is a citizen of this country.

He said, there will be a national parliamentary election in the future. In this election, he sought votes in favor of the sheaf of paddy (BNP’s symbol). He stated that the people of the country deeply love Begum Zia. Because of this love and their prayers, by the grace of Allah, Begum Zia is now much healthier. Yet the fallen government tried to slowly kill Begum Zia. Not only that, they tried to assassinate Tarique Rahman as well, but failed. Tarique Rahman will return to the country soon and stand directly with the people, he announced. At the same time, he called upon all party leaders and workers to stay in the field to face all kinds of conspiracies against the party.

President of the event, Bidyut Narayan Sarkar, said that no disturbances occurred at Gaurangabari Khetur Dham on June 13. The press conference held in Rajshahi about it, and everything presented there, are fabricated and baseless, he said. He also described Ehshanul Kabir Tuku, president of Godagari Matikata Union BNP, as a well-wisher and supporter of Khetur Dham.

Under the presidency of Bidyut Narayan Sarkar, president of the Shri Shri Gaurangadev Trust Board Management Committee, the chief speaker at the event was Major General (Retd.) Sharif Uddin, member of BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia’s advisory council. Special guests included Debashish Roy, member of BNP’s National Executive Committee and member of Rajshahi District BNP, Bir Muktijoddha Advocate Ershad Ali Isha, convener of Rajshahi Metropolitan BNP, Ehshanul Kabir Tuku, president of Godagari Matikata Union BNP, Shyamapada Sanyal, secretary of Gaurangadev Trust Board Management Committee, trustees Sriram Kumar Saha, Babu Mondol Babu, Anukul Kumar Ghosh, Rajnath Pal Raju, and Gobinda Paul