Bangladesh: Construction of Bangabandhu's sculpture will continue

Minister for Road Transport and Bridges and General Secretary of Bangladesh Awami League Obaidul Quader has said that construction work of Bangabandhu's sculpture will continue at Dolaipar in the capital. The work on the sculpture under construction will continue. We will build sculptures. It is up to them to decide what to offer. The sculpture has been in different countries, where no one has officially inaugurated. Maybe it's a matter of getting permission from a legitimate company. And we have not officially inaugurated the sculpture. He made the remarks at a press briefing on a contemporary issue in the conference room of the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges at the Secretariat on Monday (December 8).

Obaidul Quader said that those who will cause such incidents must be guilty of treason. Because Bangabandhu is the father of our nation. Attack on Bangabandhu's sculpture. Countries where there are also Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Iran, Turkey, Pakistan. Sculpture is also found in Muslim countries. Are we bigger Muslims than them? They don't talk about sculpture there. And the idol is the worship of a deity, and the sculpture here is the sculpture of man. Gods are worshiped, but people are not worshiped here. So why are they taking it that way. What they did in Kushtia, they also attacked Madhudar sculpture at Dhaka University. Whoever does it and those who show its audacity will have to pay the ultimate price. Asked why Muktijuddha Mancha had to file a case to have Awami League and allied organizations, he said it did not matter who filed the case. It is better for non-politicians to do it, Bangabandhu is not just for any party.

Asked if anyone would be accused of the order here, he said no one should be victimized unless proper evidence is found. We will take action if we find any evidence that someone has given the order. We are in government, in power. We have to move forward with a cold head. It is not possible to make a fuss over words. Understandably we need to track the situation. Religion is again an important and sensitive issue in our country when it comes to taking action against someone. The Prime Minister himself is looking at things and tracking them that way. We do not want to create unrest in the country unnecessarily. We want to argue. I don't know if the Prime Minister will meet them. The Prime Minister is also looking into whether there is an opportunity for discussion. Everything can happen if the head of government thinks so. That is what he will decide.

Obaidul Quader further said that there was a movement under the banner of Hefazat at Shapla Chattar. That did not last long. In Muslim countries, such religious issues occasionally come up, for political reasons. We are observing these. Now various social and cultural organizations of Bangladesh are protesting. There are some issues we should address politically.

Asked about the government's relationship with Hefazat, the Awami League general secretary said they have 1.4 million students at Qawmi Madrasa. They are far from the mainstream. The demand to bring them into the mainstream of our education system seems justified. Their demands have been accepted. This does not mean that we have compromised with them. Hefazat is not a political organization that will make political compromises with them.

Asked if there was any BNP-Jamaat provocation behind it, he said, we are looking into whether there is any BNP-Jamaat provocation.