Kolkata: With the fear of attack on pandals and devotees a cause of worry for Bangladeshi Hindus in the upcoming Durga puja, the Bangladesh Sanatan Party (BSP) is trying to make its presence felt in the country’s volatile political sphere.
BSP’s founder and general secretary Sumon Kumar Roy, 38, told ThePrint from Dhaka over a telephonic interview that he will appeal to the Yunus administration to recognise and register it as a political party that can participate in elections.
“On 26 August, 2022, I held a presser at the Jatiya Press Club in Dhaka and officially announced the launch of BSP. But, the radical Islamist groups in Bangladesh went public against us, and the Sheikh Hasina government did not allow the BSP’s registration as a recognised political party. I would like to appeal to the Yunus administration to recognise us as a political party so that we can field candidates in the next elections and give Hindus in Bangladesh a viable political option,” he said.
The political party was launched 9 June, 2022, with businessman Sushant Chandra Barman being nominated as BSP president and Roy, an advocate, as general secretary.
Reporting its launch, Bangladeshi news portal bdnews24 quoted Roy as saying that the Hasina government had completely failed in providing protection to Bangladeshi Hindus and with the launch of the BSP, the community would gradually cease to be treated as a mere vote bank.
According to the Bangladesh Census 2022, the Muslim population is 91.04 percent while Hindus comprise 7.95 percent in the neighbouring country.
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‘No party speaks up for Hindus’
Roy rued that even two years after the launch of BSP, Hindus are still vulnerable in Bangladesh. “No political party in Bangladesh has protected Hindus, be it Awami League or any other party. During Sheikh Hasina’s time, Awami League leaders and workers would attack Hindus and pass on the blame to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, or the Jamaat e Islami. Today, after the fall of the Hasina government, several radical outfits are openly giving anti-Hindu statements and attacks on minorities are being reported from across the country,” he told ThePrint.
On 12 September, Bangladeshi newspaper Prothom Alo published a report detailing the attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh after Sheikh Hasina’s exit on August 5. The report said that Prothom Alo correspondents carried out investigations between 5 and 20 August and found evidence of at least 1,068 houses and business establishments of the minority community being damaged. That apart, 22 houses of worship came under attack
Roy said Hindus will be able to defend themselves better if they organise themselves politically. “In two years, BSP’s central committee has 151 members and 61 members in zilla committees. The upazila committees have more than 200 members and there are lakhs of party workers spread out across Bangladesh. There are over two crore Hindus in Bangladesh. A Hindu-first political party like BSP will be their voice on voting day,” the BSP founder-cum-general secretary said.
Roy had fought the 2018 national elections as an Independent candidate backed by the National Peoples’ Party from Dhaka-4 constituency and lost.
“I had ground support, but the loss made me realise that the Hindus can win in the Bangladesh polls only when big parties like the Awami League, or the Bangladesh Nationalist Party give them tickets. But once elected, these Hindu leaders are not able to work for the community. Hence, the dire need for a registered political party for Bangladeshi Hindus. There are several constituencies where without Hindu vote no candidate will be able to win elections. Those votes should now come to a registered Hindu political party,” he said.
Apart from the BSP, Roy is the general secretary of the Bangladesh Hindu Parishad, a non-political minority association. On 14 September, the Parishad blocked Dhaka’s Shahbagh area for more than two hours to press its eight-point demands, including an
end to the ongoing repression on religious minorities and ensuring their proper compensation.
“Their other demands included holding separate elections to ensure representation of religious minorities in Parliament, forming a ministry for religious minorities and creating a Speedy Trial Tribunal to ensure their protection, introducing a Minority Protection Act, and declaring three days of government vacation for Durga Puja,” Bangladeshi news portal New Age reported.
Dhaka-based political journalist Benoy Kumar Dutta told ThePrint that 48 political parties are registered in Bangladesh, out of which 11 are Islamist parties.
“If you count the unregistered Islamist parties in Bangladesh, the number would be close to 70. In a democratic country, every community should have equal representation. Hence, there is a dire need for the minority Hindus, Buddhists and Christians to have their own registered political parties,” Dutta said.
“This is especially true at a time when the world has witnessed the atrocities on Hindus since 5 August, when Hasina had to flee to India. Justice has been denied to Hindus in the past, hence there is no hope for justice now.”
A Hindu political party, he said, will be able to fight for Hindu rights effectively.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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