Staff Reporter:
Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Thursday inaugurated the Shri Shri Jagannath Dev’s Ratha Yatra Festival 2026 in the capital, calling for maintaining communal harmony and unity among people of all faiths.
The inauguration ceremony and discussion of the festival were held at Swamibagh Ashram in Dhaka, where the minister attended as the chief guest.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Bijan Kanti Sarker and Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary ABM Abdus Sattar were present as special guests.
Addressing the programme, Mirza Fakhrul said attempts have been made at different times to create divisions in Bangladesh’s politics by using religion, but the government does not believe in such politics.
He said the government’s aim is to work for the country’s development by ensuring the participation of people from all religions and communities in line with the spirit of Bangladeshi nationalism.
The minister said that following the ideals of martyred president Ziaur Rahman and the path shown by former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is also working to ensure the rights, dignity and security of people of all faiths.
He said Bangladesh does not belong to any particular religion; rather, it is a country for people of all faiths.
The government wants to move forward by ensuring equal participation and representation of all communities.
Recalling the spirit of the Liberation War, Fakhrul said Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists and Christians fought together in 1971 for the country’s independence.
He said a vested quarter has repeatedly attempted to destroy the tradition of communal harmony and called upon all citizens to remain united against such efforts.
