BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said today (1 October) that attempts are being made to politically divide the country’s communal unity, calling it “extremely unfortunate.”
He alleged that those unable to accept the fall of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina are deliberately trying to create unrest in the hill tracts during Durga Puja.
Rizvi made the remarks while speaking to journalists after visiting a Puja mandap in the capital’s Paltan area.
He further claimed that an international conspiracy from a neighbouring country is underway to sabotage Durga Puja.
“Hindus and Muslims have pledged to work together to ensure that Durga Puja is held peacefully and smoothly. We are making every effort so the festival is celebrated in a truly festive atmosphere. As per the directive of BNP’s acting chairman, Tarique Rahman, leaders and activists of the party’s affiliated and associate bodies are vigilantly carrying out responsibilities centering on the Puja,” Rizvi said.
The BNP leader added, “We are making sure no one can use the Durga Puja festival as a pretext for sabotage or political mischief. Everyone is alert so that the image of Bangladesh cannot be tarnished.”
“In the Liberation War, Hindus and Muslims fought side by side. In the anti-autocracy movement of the 1990s, we also stood together. Today, we must continue that tradition of unity to safeguard communal unity,” he also said.
Rizvi called upon all political parties and citizens, irrespective of affiliation, to work together for the country’s communal unity and peaceful coexistence.