6 congressmen’s letter to Biden ‘false projection’

Several noted minority community leaders yesterday said the picture of Bangladesh's minorities depicted in a letter sent by the six US congressmen to President Biden is "absolutely false".

They termed it a "threat to the existing communal harmony in Bangladesh."

Besides accusing the government of human rights violations, the letter also claimed that under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's watch, religious minorities in the country are also suffering.

In the letter, the US Congressmen called for urgent actions to stop the "human rights abuses" by the Bangladesh government and "give the people of Bangladesh the best possible chance for free and fair parliamentary elections". 

Rana Dasgupta, leader of Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad, rejected the claim in the letter that the Hindu population has halved since Sheikh Hasina's rise to power.

"I will say this claim is a travesty of truth," he said, adding that a vested group was working behind a cloak ahead of the national election.

Referring to a number of surveys, he added, "Between 1947 and 1971, under Pakistani rule, a whopping 9.7 percent of the [Hindu] population declined."

Since Bangladesh became independent, over the last five decades, the Hindu population declined by around 10 percent. Most of it happened when the country was ruled by the BNP and Jamaat, he said.

Nirmal Rozario, president of Bangladesh Christian Association, rejected the claim as well.

"It is an outright lie. Rather, the reality is that since the return of Awami League, our community has been living in harmony – with assistance from the prime minister. The government's development schemes connect the minorities as well," he said.

Eminent researcher and freedom fighter Ajoy Das Gupta, said, "A number of BNP leaders, including Rumeen Farhana, went vocal on social media, justifying the letter."

"The BNP and Jamaat hold a sordid record of attacking minorities," he added.

Calling such assertions "biased, a travesty of justice, and highly motivated," the minority community leaders also asked why the US congressmen did not bother to mention the "BNP-Jamaat sponsored hate campaign against minorities".