Awami League is ‘best’ bet for Hindus in Bangladesh, says Quader

The Awami League general secretary has said his party is the ‘best friend’ of the Hindus in Bangladesh despite some mistakes it has made and it will not be wise for them to consider the ‘accomplices of Pakistan’ as an alternative.

Obaidul Quader made the remarks at the biannual council of Bangladesh Puja Udjapon Parishad in Dhaka on Friday.

Addressing the leaders of the Hindus, he said, “We (Awami League) do have some faults. But no one is a better friend of you than we are. Is there anyone closer to you than Sheikh Hasina is?” 

The road transport and bridges minister also urged the Hindus to forget these ‘little mistakes’ and rally behind the party in elections.

“Don’t you remember the tortures you suffered after the 2001 elections? ... Pakistan’s friends can’t be your friends,” he said.

He claimed the violent repressions that took place after the 2001 elections were part of the then BNP-Jamaat-e-Islami government’s policy.

“But the insignificant incidents that occurred during our tenure are not part of the Hasina administration’s policy…Our government does not tolerate land-grabbing,” he said.

The Awami League leader also advised the religious minorities to hit back if they came under attack.

“Everyone has equal voting rights. Don’t consider yourselves weak,” he said.

Indian High Commissioner Harsh Vardhan Shringla hoped the ties between the two countries would reach a new high during prime ministers Hasina and Narendra Modi’s governments.

Fisheries and Livestock Minister Narayon Chandra Chanda, State Minister for Youth and Sports Biren Sikder, and Hindu, Buddhist, Christian Unity Council General Secretary Rana Dasgupta, among others, attended the programme chaired by Puja Udjapon Parishad President Jayanta Das Dipu.