BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday accused the government of sowing the seeds of communalism in the country in a planned way.
“They (govt) are spreading the poison of communalism and sowing its seeds knowingly. Unfortunately, they have brought the communalism to Bangladesh that emerged in the neighbuoring country (India),” he said.
Speaking at a virtual discussion, the BNP leader said the March-26 clashes between police and Hefazat activists took place as communalism spread in Bangladesh. “They’re now arresting people, torturing them and making them disappeared. But the Awami League government is fully responsible for what is happening now in the country due to communalism.”
BNP arranged the programme marking the Buddha Purnima, the biggest religious festival of the Buddhist community.
Fakhrul said democracy is disappearing and getting annihilated duet the rise of autocracy, fascism and communalism. “Democracy is getting defeated amid bigotry. It’s being defeated by authoritarianism and fascism. Those in power are killing people, depriving them of their rights and torturing them to perpetuate power. This is happening all over the world. Bangladesh is one of the worst victims of it.”
He said the dreams of the people of Bangladesh, who had fought in 1971 to build a non-communal humanitarian state with equality, have broken as a group of people turned the country into a ‘monstrous state’ by destroying all the systems just to keep themselves in power."
The BNP leader said there is no peace in the country now due to the vindictive attitude of the government. “There are no efforts for the welfare of people here since a group of people are amassing wealth by plundering public money.”
He urged people to get united to overcome the current situation of the country. "We’ll create a truly enlightened, democratic state with equality by removing darkness created by Awami League. "Let's take this oath today and get united irrespective of caste and religion to protect the county, restore democratic rights and save people defeating the monstrous regime.”