BNP Joint Secretary General and Mymensingh District Council Administrator Syed Emran Saleh Prince has said religious, ethnic and social harmony is a key strength of Bangladesh, as the district council provided financial assistance to Durga Puja mandaps across the district on Sunday.
He made the remarks while distributing cheques among Puja mandaps at Bhaluka Upazila Parishad in Mymensingh on 18 October to support the celebration of Sharadiya Durga Puja.
Prince said the country’s spirit of harmony had helped establish independence, democracy and people’s rights, while also giving strength and courage to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to build a developed and prosperous Bangladesh.
He said religious festivals symbolised communal harmony, mutual respect and the country’s traditions. “Religion is for individuals, but the state belongs to everyone,” he said, stressing the need to build a democratic, secular and discrimination-free Bangladesh.
Prince said the district council was a public institution whose responsibility was to work for people’s welfare, rising above party, religious and communal divisions. The financial assistance was being provided as part of that responsibility, and he expressed hope that it would help the mandaps organise the festival.
For the first time, Mymensingh District Council is providing financial assistance for Durga Puja celebrations this year. A total of 257 Puja mandaps across the district are receiving support.
On the second day of the assistance programme, cheques were distributed to mandaps in Bhaluka, Gafargaon, South Gafargaon, Tarakanda, Phulpur, Haluaghat and Dhobaura upazilas.
On Saturday, Prince distributed assistance to Puja mandaps in Mymensingh City Corporation and the upazilas of Sadar, Trishal, Muktagachha, Fulbaria, Gauripur, Nandail and Ishwarganj.
Leaders of the Hindu community expressed their enthusiasm over the government’s support for Durga Puja, saying the government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had provided the highest level of assistance to Puja mandaps this year.
District BNP Joint Convener Ruhul Amin Masud, Municipal BNP Convener Hatem Ali, Bhaluka Municipal BNP Joint Convener Ahsan Ullah Khan Rubel, Bhaluka Upazila BNP Joint Convener Gulzar Hossain, Puja Celebration Front President Swapna Banik, its General Secretary Rati Ranjan Barman and Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Welfare Front General Secretary Rana Sarkar, among others, spoke at the programme.
