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You have equal rights...' Bangladesh PM Hasina to Hindus on Janmashtami

On Janmashtami, Hasina met with Hindu community leaders and urged believers of other faiths not to consider themselves minorities, saying that in Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority country, everyone, regardless of religion, will have equal rights.

You have equal rights...' Bangladesh PM Hasina to Hindus on Janmashtami - adt
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dhaka, First Published Aug 19, 2022, 11:53 AM IST

The Hindu community in Bangladesh has the same rights as she has, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said, claiming that the number of mandaps in Dhaka during the Durga Puja festivities was much higher than in West Bengal.

On Janmashtami, Hasina met with Hindu community leaders and urged believers of other faiths not to consider themselves minorities, saying that everyone, regardless of religion, will have equal rights in Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority country.

We want equal rights for people of all faiths. You are citizens of this country; you have equal rights here, the same rights as I do, she said, following the Dhaka Tribune newspaper.

You would always believe that you are citizens of this country with equal rights, said the premier.

From her official residence in Gonobhaban, Hasina virtually attended the events at Dhakeswari Mandir in Dhaka and JM Sen Hall in Chattogram.

We'd like to see you in that light as well. Please don't put yourself down. She pointed out that you were born in this country and are citizens of this country.

During the Durga Puja celebrations, the prime minister stated Dhaka has more mandaps than West Bengal, Kolkata, and the rest of Bangladesh.

Hasina lamented that whenever an unsavoury incident occurs, it is propagated such that the Hindu community in Bangladesh has no rights.

That incident is coloured such that Hindus have no rights here. And the government's actions following the incidents received insufficient attention, according to the Prothom Aalo newspaper.

Hasina stated that her government and the Awami League did not support undermining people of any religion.

We can say it clearly. Our government is extremely cautious about it. I can assure you of that, she added.

According to the 2022 census, the Hindu community is Bangladesh's second largest religious affiliation, accounting for approximately 7.95 per cent of the total 161.5 million population.

(With inputs from PTI)
 

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