The Awami League-led 14-party alliance has strongly condemned and protested against the communal attacks in different parts of the country including Cumilla and called upon all the people of the country to unite against this evil force irrespective of caste, creed and religion.
The leaders of the 14 parties made the call at a virtual meeting on Sunday (October 17) at 3 pm. The meeting was chaired by Amir Hossain Amu, a member of the Awami League's advisory council, coordinator of 14 parties and spokesperson. The meeting was chaired by Advocate Mrinal Kanti Das, Awami League Liberation War Affairs Secretary.
Amir Hossain Amu said that the government is determined to punish those evil forces who want to disrupt the ongoing development and progress of the country and also conspiring against the country and the people.
He said, why did they choose Cumilla? Why did they choose Noakhali? We need to find out today. I think this work is being carried out by an extremist group where the BNP-Jamaat clique has fueled it. They have to be tackled through political and social activities.
He further said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, we are moving forward with determination. So we have to be alert and vigilant. We have to be vigilant against internal and international conspiracies. Supportive forces must be harnessed. We seek the cooperation of all political forces believing in the spirit of the great liberation war. We will unitedly confront these extremist-communal evils.
Awami League presidium member Begum Matia Chowdhury said, we have been witnessing these incidents since the Pakistan period. This has been happening since the 70's. This evil force has been spreading propaganda since then that Islam is gone. But in independent Bangladesh, Islam has been established in its own glory. Today it has been possible under the leadership of Bangabandhu's daughter Sheikh Hasina. I want 14 parties with steel like unity deal everything hard and Sheikh Hasina will show the way.
Rashed Khan Menon, president of the Workers Party of Bangladesh, said no truly religious person could carry out the attack. Many temples across the country have been attacked. Have been wrecked. People have been killed. We see in the video- how they carried out this hellish torment!
He said that all the incidents in Ramu, Nasirnagar and Cumilla are based on the same formula. Communalism is spreading so much that it is present in all parties. It is necessary to bring them under the law by analyzing the differences of opinion about them. He called for special laws to protect minorities and to include anti-communal content in all curricula.
JSD president Hasanul Haque Inu said, who was behind the attack in Cumilla? The defeated force of '71 is the BNP-Jamaat. They wanted to provoke riots. But it did not happen. So I will see it as a militant attack. It's a planned attack. It is a political attack. The attack was carried out to endanger the government. The attack was carried out to overthrow the government and ahead of the next elections. This heinous tactic is to humiliate Bangladesh by using religion card. These attacks are taking place in the BNP-Jamaat partnership.
Comrade Dilip Barua, President of the Communist Party, said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is taking the country forward in the spirit of the great war of liberation. Bangladesh is ahead of India and Pakistan in the economy. But the communal groups cannot stand it. They are conspiring in the name of religion. The Cumilla incident is not an isolated incident. It is politically backed. Under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina, we will be able to deal with this evil force. At the same time, he advised the 14 parties to hold anti-communal rallies and campaigns in different areas.
Syed Najibul Bashar Maizbhandari, chairman of Tarikat Federation, said that BNP-Jamaat and extremism are all tied to the same thread. We need to be more aware. The law enforcement agencies have to be diligent. More such blows may come before the 2023 elections which must be strongly resisted. Islam does not support what is happening in the name of religion.
Jatiya Party Presidium member Ejaz Ahmed Mukta said the defeated forces of '71 have not stopped. They have gone insane to destabilize the whole country. They want to take the country back to Pakistani ideology. We have never been silent in the misfortune of the country, we will never be.