Calling for a discrimination-free Bangladesh, Fisheries and Livestock Advisor Farida Akhtar said that this year’s puja should be the puja of new Bangladesh.
There can be no such thing as minority-majority in Bangladesh. We are all a family here. We do not discriminate here who is Hindu or who is Buddhist. The adviser said these things in the chief guest’s speech at the discussion meeting on Autumn Durga Puja 2024 celebration at Tangail District Commissioner’s meeting room on Monday (07 October 2024 AD). Calling for increasing social awareness, the adviser said, we will rejoice in Eid but be afraid in worship, this is not happening. Why should we be afraid in worship? It cannot be possible to make the puja happy by guarding it with police and Ansar. We want Hindus and Muslims to rejoice together in the puja, so social conditions must be created so that everyone can rejoice. If we all try then surely we can do a good puja. The advisor also said that the movement had peaked as a result of long-standing discrimination and deprivation and accumulated anger among the people, and this movement was a movement of people from all walks of life. Thousands of people lost their lives in this movement, most of them students. Therefore, the interim government formed as a result of this movement is not only a responsibility but a duty.
Regarding the number of martyrs in the movement, he says, the list we have so far is said to be eight to nine hundred, but others say that more than a thousand people died. Most of them young men, our children gave their lives. Referring to Bangladesh as a country of harmony, Farida Akhtar said, Muslims go to worship at various times, while traditional religious people also come to celebrate the joy of Eid. The adviser expressed his satisfaction to see that the local administration, law enforcement forces along with the army are working together to the maximum to celebrate the worship of the Sanatan religious people without interruption. Under the chairmanship of Tangail Deputy Commissioner Sharifa Haque and Additional Deputy Commissioner Sarbik Ziaul Islam Chowdhury Superintendent of Police Md. Saiful Islam Santu, District Puja Udyapan Samiti President Chitta Ranjan Sarkar, Secretary Jhantu Kumar Sarkar, Deputy Director Local Government, Civil Surgeon, Zilla Parishad Chief Executive Officer, Army officers, government and private officials of various levels were present on the occasion.