Every community has a place in nationalism: Rizvi

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has compared the “Bangladeshi nationalism” introduced by Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman to a garden where people from different communities coexist. 

“Flowers of different colours and varieties bloom together in this garden, where the distinct place and rights of every community are preserved,” he claimed while talking to media after visiting Durga Puja mandap at Jagannath Hall of Dhaka University on Monday (October 19).

Rizvi said festivals are not confined within any specific religious or social boundaries. The universal appeal of festivals brings people from all communities together and inspires them to live together as brothers. He said the core message of Durga Puja is to defeat the forces of falsehood and evil prevailing in society and establish truth, justice and peace.

Emphasising communal harmony, the BNP leader said that although religious beliefs are a personal matter for each individual, everyone has equal rights as a citizen of the state. Ensuring that everyone can celebrate their respective religious festivals without hindrance and in a peaceful and secure environment is the responsibility of the state.

Referring to various initiatives of the BNP government, Rizvi said that effective steps had been taken to implement measures in response to the demands of the Hindu community, including extending the Durga Puja holiday, increasing allocations for Puja mandaps, and introducing honorariums for priests and sebaits (temple attendants).

Highlighting Bangladesh’s age-old cultural heritage and tradition of communal harmony, he said the people of this country had been living together in harmony for hundreds of years, sharing the same clothing traditions, language and folk culture. He said various domestic and foreign conspiracies might be hatched to undermine Bangladesh’s secular traditions, but the religiously devout and secular-minded people would never allow such attempts to succeed.

Among others, Dhaka University Professor Debashish Pal, Swechchhasebak Dal Vice-President Dr Jahidur Rahman, Chhatra Dal Vice-President Dr Touhidur Rahman Awal, and leaders of various organisations representing members of the Hindu community were present at the event.