Dhaka, Oct 17 (V7N)- Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has said this year's Sharad Durga Puja is being marked by record numbers of puja mandaps, government allocations, holidays and festive celebrations, expressing hope that members of the Hindu community will enjoy greater freedom and the full exercise of their civil and religious rights.

He made the remarks while visiting a Durga Puja mandap at Banani ground in the capital on Friday night, October 16.

“This time, you will enjoy the most freedom, civil rights and freedom to perform religious rituals, along with the highest allocation, the highest number of holidays and the greatest joy,” the minister said, expressing hope that the community would also receive the strongest possible support.

Citizens Should Not Be Treated as Political Vote Banks

The home minister said no religious community should be viewed merely as a political vote bank.

“We always consider you as followers of religion, and we will do so. Some may consider you as a community. In the past, many have used you for political gain, but we will not go into that matter,” he said.

He added that citizens should independently assess which period had best protected their democratic, constitutional and civil rights.

According to Salahuddin Ahmed, every citizen has the right to make decisions according to their own conscience and evaluate how effectively their rights are protected.

Calls for Religious Harmony and Equal Rights

The minister also spoke about the importance of religious harmony, saying he preferred that expression over the commonly used term “communal harmony.”

“No one came here to be communal. The laws of the country do not call anyone communal. Everyone is a citizen of Bangladesh and has equal rights,” he said.

He stressed that the Constitution guarantees citizens the freedom to practise their religion, perform religious rituals and worship in their respective places of worship without discrimination.

The minister said he was concerned that religious minorities continued to hear repeated assurances about security during Durga Puja and other religious festivals.

He questioned why members of any religious community should have to fear for their safety while exercising their constitutional rights.

“It is very sad for us in national life that this fear still arises. This fear should never arise,” he said, calling for an environment in which all citizens could observe their religious festivals freely and without apprehension.

END/SMA/AJ