Did not fight the Liberation War to live as 'minority'
Bangladesh Hindu-Bouddha-Christian Oikya Parishad yesterday thanked major political parties for including issues of the minority groups in their manifestos for the upcoming parliamentary election.
“We thank the country's major political parties as they have recognised our rights and dignity in their polls manifestos,” said Advocate Rana Dasgupta, general secretary of the Oikya Parishad, a platform of different religious minority groups.
While speaking at a press conference at Jatiya Press Club in Dhaka, he said, “We want to believe that the parties' pledges regarding the issues concerning minorities would be implemented after forming the government.”
During the press conference, Rana Dasgupta read out the relevant points in the manifestos of Awami League, BNP, Jatiya Oikyafront, Jatiya Party and Communist Party of Bangladesh, and cited their pledges of protecting overall interests of the minority communities.
Oikya Parishad observed that the political parties, for the first time, have tried to take cognisance of their demands.
They, however, criticised political parties for referring to them as “minorities”.
“Some political parties have used the word minority. We may be minorities from religious or ethnic perspective but we want to make it clear that we did not fight the Liberation War to live in the country as minority,” said Rana Dasgupta.
On September 28, Oikya Parishad held a rally from where they called upon all political parties and alliances not to nominate those who have in the past or are currently engaged in anti-minority activities as candidates.
From the rally, the platform also declared that they will extend full support to those political parties and alliances who will pledge for materialisation of their seven-point demand.
Their demands include ensuring empowerment and representation of minority groups in polls, elimination of discrimination from the education sector, equal rights and dignity, elimination of constitutional discrimination, enactment and implementation of minority-friendly laws and freeing the country from communalism, fanaticism and terrorism.
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