DHAKA: Leaders of the Hindu group in Bangladesh are calling for the formation of a dedicated social group, which would help them defend their rights and ensure their safety. Hindu leaders from the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council ( BHBCOP) and other organizations are currently mulling the possibility of starting a new political party or demanding reserved parliamentary seats.
” There are currently three thoughts that are being discussed in detail: first, going back to the individual public system from 1954, next, establishing a separate social gathering for Hindus, and next, reserving seats in Parliament for minorities”, BHBCOP presidium part Kajal Debnath told PTI.
Following the resignation of Awami League head Sheikh Hasina as prime minister on August 5 following a scholar movement, the discussions took place.
Debnath said the information collected by the BHBCOP points to 2, 010 occurrences of problems on the Hindu society, ranging from crime and physical attack to sexual assaults, assaults on temples, and destruction of property.
The Bangladesh state has no established information about the number of problems.
” The conversations and exchanges of ideas regarding forming a political group are at the top of our goal,” he said. Although nothing has been finalised, let’s see how it pans out”, said Ranjan Karmakar, a president from the Hindu area.
He remarked that the proposed political party could be a crucial tool for alter by ensuring that their problems are heard and represented.
Generally, Hindus made up about 22 per share of Bangladesh’s people during the 1971 Liberation War, but now they represent just about 8 per cent.
The group members’ emphasised the need for social mobilization by pointing to this decline in the Hindu population as a result of socio-political marginalization and irregular violence.
Debnath claimed that creating a Hindu party does not work for minorities because it might cause division among liberal voters and lead to a defeat.
” The Hindu community is scattered across Bangladesh. In some places, it comprises 35 per cent of the voters, while in most places it is 6-8 per share of the citizens. The Awami League’s winners in the previous election won both Hindu support and votes from Awami League followers in different areas.
” But it’s possible that the same person who is running for president of a Hindu party wo n’t be able to snag votes from other communities.” So, the goal of sending representatives to Parliament wo n’t be served”, he said.
There are varying viewpoints within the area regarding whether to form a new political party or to work with existing liberal parties.
” We must focus on our popular targets. Standing together is the single way to make a significant effect. This is our opportunity to rise up and reclaim our position in the social environment. However, we are also facing episodes because a large number of Hindus have affiliations with the Awami League, according to Gobinda Chandra Pramanik, the Bangladesh Jatiya Hindu Mohajote’s general secretary.
Debnath claimed that a solution might be to reserve political votes in a manner similar to what is done for people.
Because the government has recently given women seats in both national and local politics, there is a need for reservations, according to Hindu society leaders, who contend that identical reservations will provide them a system to influence decisions that directly affect their safety and rights.
” If we have members in Parliament, they may constantly argue for our health, safety, and cultural preservation. Without picture, we risk being forgotten in social debate, left to explore a hostile atmosphere alone”, he said.
Another BHBCOP presidium member, who did not want to be identified, claimed that the political parties, including the Awami League, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party ( BNP ), and the Jatiya Party, have failed the country’s Hindu minorities since the Liberation War of 1971.
Minorities have n’t been a significant part of the political discourse of the nation since 1971. This is primarily due to the fact that minority groups have relied on popular social parties, who have repeatedly failed us, aside from when they speak with us during elections,” he said.
Generally, the Awami League, recognized for its liberal stance, received considerable support from Hindus, but the rapid power vacuum after Hasina’s ouster resulted in a wave of violence in which businesses of the minority community were vandalised, properties destroyed and temples desecrated, leaving many in the community feeling prone and disillusioned.
The interim government’s chief adviser, Muhammad Yunus, downplayed the violence against Hindus, blaming it as being politically motivated rather than communal and claiming that most Hindus had sided with the now-deposed Awami League regime.
” This issue has several dimensions. The Nobel laureate told PTI in an interview earlier this month that those who were with the country went through an upheaval following the atrocities committed by ( Sheikh ) Hasina and the Awami League also faced attacks.
Yunus had referred to the attacks as being “political in nature and not communal in nature.”
Leaders of BHBCOP had met Yunus after he assumed office on August 8 and written a letter to him to ask him to stop attacks on Hindus.
Political analyst Zillur Rehman expressed doubts about the BHBCOP’s recent attacks on Hindus, but he claimed that the possibility of discussing the proposal for seat reservations in parliament could be raised.
” A process is currently being conducted to reexamine and debate the question of parliamentary seats being given to minorities.” However, he claimed that the creation of a new political party wo n’t be possible in the coalition of the BNP and Awami League.
