No Division in the Name of Religion — Our Only Identity Is Citizens of Bangladesh: PM Tarique Rahman at Chattogram Puja Mandap

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has sent a clear message that there must be no division in the country in the name of religion. 'Whatever religion we belong to, religion is our personal matter. But our only identity is that we are citizens of Bangladesh,' he said.

The prime minister made the remarks on Tuesday night (21 October) after exchanging greetings with members of the Hindu community at the JM Sen Puja Mandap in Rahmatganj, Chattogram. He visited the mandap on the occasion of Durga Puja.

Extending Sharodiya greetings to the Hindu community, the prime minister invoked the Liberation War: 'In 1971, the people of this Bangladesh fought risking their lives. Those who fought, those who were martyred — that day we did not see who was Muslim, who was Hindu, who was Buddhist, who was Christian. We saw no religion; we only saw that they were fighting the Liberation War.'

He noted that religious identity was not the main thing in the July-August mass uprising either. 'In July-August 2024, the people of this country, the students and the masses, bid farewell to an autocracy. None of us asked whether the person who was shot was a Muslim or a Hindu, a Buddhist or a Christian. Let there be no division in the name of religion in the Bangladesh of tomorrow either,' he said.

'Today, as the prime minister of the country, I have come before you only to say this: this country is yours, this country is mine, this country belongs to all of us. Whether we are Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or Christian, religion is our personal matter. Our only identity is not our religious identity. Our only identity is that we are citizens of Bangladesh,' he added.

Seeking everyone's cooperation in running the country, the prime minister said: 'Whether you are Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist or Christian — whoever you are, the present government expects everyone's cooperation to build a beautiful and self-reliant country.'

Also addressing the event were BNP acting secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, standing committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, Cultural Affairs Minister Nitai Roy Chowdhury, and the prime minister's special assistant and Hindu Buddhist Christian Kalyan Front chairman Bijan Kanti Sarkar.

Also present at the event were Water Resources Minister Shahiduddin Chowdhury Annie, state ministers Mir Shahe Alam and Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin, and members of parliament from Chattogram city and district. The Chittagong Hill Tracts affairs minister was also present.

Members of the Puja Udjapan Parishad presented the prime minister with a bonsai tree. The prime minister donated Tk 20 lakh in cash for the development of the mandap.

Earlier, the prime minister landed at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram at 7:40 pm. From the airport he went directly to the puja mandap.

The prime minister's mandap visit and message of harmony during his Chattogram tour drew a positive response from the local Hindu community. Observers see the message from the highest level of the state, delivered amid the festive atmosphere of Durga Puja, as significant for preserving communal harmony.