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Local Government Minister and BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said that those who want to forget or erase the history of 1971 can never truly believe in Bangladesh.
“Those who want to forget or make others forget 1971 never truly believe in Bangladesh. To believe in Bangladesh, we must bring 1971 to the forefront. We will move forward with that history,” he said.
Mirza Fakhrul made the remarks on Friday while addressing an exchange meeting with leaders of the Hindu community at the Institution of Diploma Engineers auditorium in Kakrail, Dhaka. The event, titled “Ensuring the Protection and Security of Minorities,” was organized by the Sammilito Sanatan Parishad.
He said highlighting the Liberation War of 1971 does not mean ignoring the mass uprising of 2024. Rather, both events must be remembered.
“Bringing 1971 to the forefront does not mean putting the July uprising behind us. We must also bring July to the forefront. We cannot deny July because many of our children sacrificed their lives to establish democracy in Bangladesh and forced a fascist government to leave the country,” he said.
The BNP secretary general said his party does not belittle either 1971 or the events of 2024.
Mirza Fakhrul also accused a group of deliberately trying to divide the country in the name of religion. He called for such efforts to be resisted.
“We cannot tolerate extremism here. We cannot tolerate fundamentalism. We want to build a liberal and democratic Bangladesh,” he said.
Warning against attempts to create divisions in the name of religion, he stressed that people of all faiths have equal rights in Bangladesh. He said the BNP does not consider anyone a “minority” and urged members of the Hindu community to remain vocal in demanding and exercising their rights.
Thanking members of the Hindu community for supporting the BNP in the latest national election, Mirza Fakhrul said the party and the future government would sincerely work to resolve their various problems. He also urged representatives of the Hindu community to maintain communication and dialogue with the BNP.
The event was inaugurated by Cultural Affairs Minister Nitai Roy Chowdhury. He said the votes of minority communities had played an important role in the BNP’s victory and that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman also acknowledges their contribution with gratitude.
He said all citizens are equal in the eyes of the government and that Hindus, Buddhists, Christians and people of all other faiths would enjoy equal rights.
Prime Minister’s Special Assistant Bijon Kanti Sarker emphasized the importance of presenting accurate and impartial information when analyzing any situation. He said political and social developments should be assessed not merely in light of the past two years but by considering the country’s entire history.
Speakers at the event said crimes should not automatically be viewed solely as persecution of a particular community; rather, they should be assessed in the broader context of the overall situation. They also called for the publication of unified and accurate information to avoid confusion caused by discrepancies among data provided by different agencies.
The meeting was moderated by Pradip Kumar Acharya, general secretary of the Sammilito Sanatan Parishad, and chaired by Professor Hirendranath Biswas, president of the organization.