United News of Bangladesh

BNP senior leader Gayeshwar Chandra Roy on Saturday warned that communal forces are rising in the country after the fall of fascism. “Those whom you call fundamentalists, I also call them fundamentalists. They are now selling tickets to heaven,” he said at a discussion. Gayeshwar, a BNP standing committee member, said a party is telling people that if they stay with it, they will go to heaven, and if not, they will go to hell. “Yet they themselves don’t know whether they will go to heaven or not. That’s why I say communal forces are on the rise in the country. We have freed ourselves from fascism, but instead of democratic values, a frenzy of communalism has started, which helps create mobs,” he observed. The BNP leader warned that if the state system cannot be kept on the path of democracy, communalism would become twice as difficult as fascism and ultimately lead public life to destruction. In today’s modern world, he said communal forces would not allow free thought and the growth of talent. Gayeshwar said BNP believes in religious values but not in using religion to spread hatred. “Whatever the faith one follows, religion is a way of life meant to guide people in the right direction,” he said. “What is considered a sin in religion is regarded as wrongdoing under modern state law. In the justice system, it is written what punishment matches which offence. Likewise, if one reads the Holy Quran or the Gita, it is also written what punishment will come after death for certain sins. So, there is no conflict between religion and the state system,” the BNP leader said. Tarique voices concern over Israeli settlement expansion in West Bank Human Research and Analysis Foundation organised the discussion titled “July Revolution and the Future Thoughts of Democracy” at the Jatiya Press Club. Turning to the interim government, Gayeshwar said the current administration has little visibility as it has no clear direction. “Except for a few, no one speaks. Ministries are still being run by the administration left behind by Sheikh Hasina.” He also criticised the state of the media and social media, saying freedom must come with responsibility. “Media freedom does not mean saying anything about anyone. Social media has now become a place where people say whatever they like, which can mislead society, especially children.” The BNP leader stressed that democracy means people will elect a government through votes, and if they regret their choice, they can change it in the next election. “This simple path should not be made so difficult,” he said. On electoral reforms, Gayeshwar took a swipe at the proportional representation (PR) system, saying the interim government has turned reform into superstition. “I don’t understand PR, but I hear it is exercised in Nepal. It seems that in that system you could have one prime minister in the morning, another in the afternoon, and a different one at night.”

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday accused the government of creating an unbecoming situation in the country by instigating the communal forces. “The government is carrying out a false campaign that we’ve supported Hefazat and fundamentalists, and we’re instigating them from behind the scene to create a communal problem in the country,” he said. The BNP leader said, “I would like to clearly say it’s not BNP, but the government has instigated them (Hefazat and fundamentalists), and created such a situation in the country.” He made the remarks while speaking at a press conference at BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office. The BNP leader said Hefazat activists wanted to bring out a normal procession from Baitul Mukarram Mosque on Friday, but police attacked them at the north gate while the ‘ruling party cadres’ at the south gate of the mosque, leaving many people injured. He said the Hefazat activists were killed at Hathazari in Chattogram the same way as police attacked a peaceful procession of the organisation and opened fire on its activists. Fakhrul said the government has opened a stigmatised chapter on the Independence Day by shedding the blood of people in Dhaka, Chattogram and Brahmanbaria by unleashing law enforcers and Awami League cadres when the nation was celebrating the Golden Jubilee of Independence. He said their party tried to register its protest against the bloodletting and killing through holding protest rallies in the metropolitan cities Monday in district towns on Tuesday, but police and the ruling party men attacked BNP leaders and activists at different parts of the country. Fakhrul condemned the police attacks on BNP leaders and workers during their party’s two-day peaceful programme. He said their party tried to peacefully hold their programmes in protest against the killing of at least 15 people in the country over the last few days. “But our programme has no relation with Hefazat.” The BNP leader alleged that ruling party leaders and some media are trying to give their party’s programmes a different colour involving it with Hefazat.

Speakers at a virtual discussion early Monday laid emphasis on initiating a cultural movement and restoring the original constitution of 1972 to tackle communal forces who are making efforts to raise their ugly heads again.

The anti-liberation and communal forces are still hatching conspiracies in the country.