BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Thursday said the government is committed to promoting religious harmony and ensuring equal rights for people of all faiths, rejecting any attempt to sow religious division.

"We do not want to create any religious division. We want to work with everyone and move forward together," he said while inaugurating the Rath Yatra and addressing a discussion at the ISKCON Swamibagh Ashram in the capital as the chief guest.

Fakhrul, who also serves as the minister for local government, rural development and co-operatives, said people of all faiths — Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists and Christians — fought together in the 1971 Liberation War to secure the country's independence. He alleged, however, that "a particular evil force" had repeatedly sought to undermine that spirit of unity.

"Even today, traces of that remain. We must all unite, build resistance and move forward together," he said.

Expressing gratitude to the Hindu community, the BNP leader said the government would always remember the support it received from them during the last national election.

Referring to religion-based politics, he said religion had often been used to create divisions in Bangladesh, but stressed that the BNP does not subscribe to such politics.

Highlighting the government's welfare initiatives, Fakhrul said programmes such as the Family Card and Farmers' Card had been introduced, alongside measures to support religious institutions.

He said the government had introduced allowances for imams and muezzins of mosques, priests of temples, caretakers of Buddhist monasteries and members of the clergy serving churches.

"This is something no one had ever imagined. The government wants everyone to practise their religion freely and wants Bangladesh to work equally for all rather than favouring any particular religion," he said.

Fakhrul also said that before attending the Rath Yatra programme, he had participated in another meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, with representatives of ethnic minority communities living in the plains.

He said the prime minister had ensured representation of all religious communities among women members of parliament and noted that Anna Minj, an MP from the Santal community, was among those present at the meeting.

According to Fakhrul, Tarique reiterated the government's commitment to the socio-economic development of every section of society.

Concluding his speech, Fakhrul said: "Let us all move Bangladesh forward together."