Staff Correspondent

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus today said Bangladesh is a large family where the responsibility of the government is to protect the rights of every citizen.

The chief adviser made the comments while exchanging greetings with the leaders of Bangladesh's Hindu community on the occasion of Janmastomi, the auspicious birth celebration of Lord Sri Krishna.

During the meeting, Prof Yunus said he wants to build a Bangladesh where everyone can practice their faith without any fear and where no temple needs to be guarded.

"Our responsibility is to establish the rights of every citizen. Our job is to ensure justice for every citizen," he told a group of Hindu leaders at the State Guest Jamuna in the capital.

"There can't be any divisions among people in our country. We are equal citizens. The interim government is determined to protect the rights of every citizen of the country," Prof Yunus said.

Hindu leaders greeted the Chief Adviser on the auspicious occasion, saying they have sought blessings of the Lord Sri Krishna for the harmony and prosperity of the nation and the interim government, chief adviser's press secretary Shafiqul Alam told BSS after the meeting.

The Hindu leaders said they suspended Janmastomi celebration in the flood-stricken parts of the country, while they have sent food and relief to the region.

The Hindu leaders praised the chief adviser's recent comments at the Dhakeswari Mandir, a sacred temple in Old Dhaka, saying it would help build a non-communal society in the country and ensure religious harmony in the society.

They raised the issue of Hindu property grabbing, including the land of Hindu temples.

Kajal Debnath and Monindra Kumar Nath of Hindu Buddha Christian Oikya Parishad, Charu Charan Brahmachari of ISKCON, Basudeb Dhar and Santosh Sharma of Bangladesh Puja Udjapon Parishad, and Priti Chakraborty of Universal Medical College and Hospital were present at the meeting.