The Bangladesh Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud has claimed that some elements close to Pakistan — the descendants of 22 per cent people who didn’t vote for the Awami League — are responsible for instigating communal clashes in Bangladesh.
During a media interaction at the Kolkata Press Club on Thursday, Mahmud said, “In 1970, Awami League got 298 seats in the provincial assembly and 164 seats in the national assembly during the general election. Then, there were 22 per cent people who didn’t vote for us and their descendants are still there in Bangladesh and these are the people who are trying to divide Hindus and Muslims in Bangladesh. They are the people who are creating hurdles before the development of Bangladesh. They are dividing the society and we will not tolerate this.”
Responding to a question on ‘minorities attack’ in Bangladesh, he said, “No one in Bangladesh is a minority. All are Bangladeshi and all are Bengalis. All are equal here. We don’t consider anyone in Bangladesh as a minority. I belong to the Bangladesh Awami League and I am the joint secretary of my party and I would like to assure stern action against the attackers.”
Mahmud said during the country’s independence struggle, some people had opposed the move.
“They opposed our independence struggle. Their descendants are cashing in on communalism. I would like to name the BNP and I must reveal before you that BNP, Jamat and some fundamentalist parties are behind such unrest in Bangladesh. From day one (hinting at attack on Durga Puja pandal), we are stick to our stand that no Hindu can disrespect Quran and no Muslim can disrespect ‘Gita’. We were right, as one Muslim was caught for creating all this controversy. His name is Iqbal and he must have acted on someone else’s instruction and we will soon hunt down the actual conspirator,” he added.
“It was a political ploy (on temple attack) by the parties and fundamentalist to destabilise the country and to create anarchy in Bangladesh. Our government has taken tough action against all the miscreants. So far till today, 129 cases were filed and 1204 people have been arrested. All the houses which were demolished specially in Rangpur have been built and our Prime Minister has already assured that all the victims will be compensated adequately,” Mahmud said.
On action taken against the fundamentalist, he said, “It is true that we have failed to uproot the fundamentalist completely but we managed to clip their wings.”
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