CHATTOGRAM, July 22, 2022 (BSS) - Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud today said BNP is the main patron of communal evil forces in the country and it always uses the evil fundamentalist forces as tools in politics.

"To eradicate communalism, those who give shelter to these communal evil forces and those who do politics of communalism must be eliminated forever from the country," he said.

Hasan was speaking, as the chief guest, while distributing the Prime Minister's cheque for Tk 45 lakh among three survivors of 2003 arson attack on 11 members of a minority community family of Sadhanpur under Banskhali upazila in the city's circuit house auditorium under the arrangement of Chattogram district organization.

The minister also distributed cheques among victims of BM Container Depot fire incident in Sitakunda.

Mohammad Mominur Rahman, deputy commissioner of Chattogram, presided over the function while Mostafizur Rahman MP, former city Mayor AJM Nasir Uddin and Mofizur Rahman, general secretary of Chattogram north district Awami League (AL), among others, were present.

 
Hasan, also AL joint general secretary, said Jamaat-e-Islami is the main partner of BNP that does politics over communalism.
 
He said Jamaat did not want Bangladesh and gave fatwa in 1971 that Hindus are 'gonimoter mal'.

He said leaders of many parties of the 20-party alliance led by BNP went Afghanistan and they chant the slogan 'We are all Taliban, Bengal will be Afghan'.

Hasan said BNP unleashed mayhem on religious minorities throughout the country after forming government in 2001.

He said a shelter house had to be opened at the AL's Bangabandhu Avenue central office in the capital in the wake of violence on religious minority people who fled from different parts of the country.

Attacks were carried out on minorities in Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's constituency Kotali Para, Barisal's Banari Para, Magura and different parts of the country, he said.

Hasan said thousands of Hindus were evicted from their houses and ponds were dug inside their houses overnight for casting their votes in favor of the non-communal party, Awami League, during that period.

Arson attacks and brutal killings were launched in Banskhali too for the same reason under the leadership of BNP leader Amin Chairman, a close relative of the then BNP lawmaker, he said.

That lawmaker cannot deny the liability of the incident, he added.

Hasan said communal evil forces must be eliminated as there can be no room for communalism in this country.

Noting that Pakistan now cannot march forward due to communalism, he said where there is communalism in a state, it cannot progress.

The minister said under the leadership of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh emerged as a non-communal state through the nine-month bloody Liberation War in 1971 leaving the communal state system of Pakistan.

So, there will be no room for communalism in this state, he added.

"After the shameful incident in Banshkhali in 2003, the-then opposition leader Sheikh Hasina had rushed to the scene and I also accompany her. I still can remember the scenario," he said.
 
At that period, Sheikh Hasina pledged to do whatever she could if she is voted to power and she kept her promises, Hasan said.
It took around 40 years to get the verdict in Bangabandhu murder case due to the court related complexity and BNP's reluctance, even after the formation of government by AL, he mentioned.

He said procrastination in trial of the case filed over Banshkhali 11 murders is also unexpected.

Hasan said Sheikh Hasina, the mother of humanity, always rushed to the places wherever humanity was violated and it doesn't matter whether she is in power or not.

Bangladesh opened its doors for Rohingyas of Myanmar and for that, about 15 lakh Rohingya people are now staying in Bangladesh, he said.
 
They are being given all facilities including food and medical treatment, he said, adding that other countries only give suggestions and advice.
 
Later, the Information Minister laid the foundation stone of the Multipurpose Building of Bangladesh Television Chattogram Center.

City AL Acting President Mahtab Uddin Chowdhury, its General Secretary and former Mayor AJM Nasir Uddin, City Mayor Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Mominur Rahman and BTV Chattogram Center GM Mahfuza Akhtar, among others, were present in the inaugural function.

In the afternoon, Hasan planted tree saplings in the hilly land which was freed from illegal encroachments by the district administration to conserve the risky hills of Chattogram city.