Yunus calls for unity to ensure safe festival celebrations for all religions
"Durga Puja is not only a festival of the Hindu community… it has now become a festival for all. The destruction of evil forces and the worship of truth and beauty are the main features of the festival," he said in a message on the occasion of Durga Puja
Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Saturday (12 October) urged the country's people to work together to create an environment where any religious community can celebrate their festivals smoothly without the need for protection from law enforcement agencies.
He also thanked the law enforcement agencies, including the police and army, for their sincere efforts in ensuring a successful and joyous celebration of Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of the Hindu community.
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The chief adviser made the remarks while addressing a programme at Dhakeshwari National Temple.
He visited the temple in Old Dhaka and exchanged greetings with members of the Hindu community on the auspicious occasion of Durga Puja.
"We have created a scope for you to celebrate the puja festival with the support of the law enforcement agencies. We'll all work together so that we do not need to do it (celebration of puja with the protection of law enforcers) anymore in the future," Yunus told the devotees.
He said the government and all stakeholders, including law enforcement agencies, made sincere efforts to ensure a smooth celebration of Durga Puja without any untoward incidents.
The chief adviser said all state forces, including the police, army, RAB, and Ansar, flawlessly discharged their duties despite various challenges. "It's a tough task, but they executed it impeccably. They demonstrated that success can be achieved when everyone works together in unity. I thank them for carrying out such a tough duty during the holidays."
He also said, "We remind ourselves that arranging our joyous festivals with the help of the army, police and RAB is our failure. It's not normal. We're accepting this failure for now. This is our failure that we couldn't build society in a way where a section of society can celebrate its festivals joyfully with all."
Yunus said the nation does not want a society where people must celebrate their festivals with the assistance of law enforcers. "A segment of society should be able to celebrate its festivals alongside everyone else, with support from others. That's how it should be. But we haven't achieved that."
In this reality, he noted that students, along with the masses and workers, initiated a revolution, sacrificing their lives with the dream of building a new Bangladesh and creating opportunities for all.
"We want to materialise this dream. We don't want it to remain in just words... We aim to build a Bangladesh where all our citizens can enjoy equal rights," said Nobel Peace Prize laureate Yunus.
The chief adviser said a wave of festivity has swept across the country on the occasion of Durga Puja, coinciding with the opportunity for citizens to enjoy four consecutive days of holidays.
He said not only the Sanatan practitioners but everyone has been celebrating the occasion with joy and enthusiasm.
