Advisor to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock of the Interim Government, Farida Akhtar said, “Our minorities, especially the Hindu community, are being tortured – India is fearing us in view of some incidents.” By keeping Sheikh Hasina there, they kept us in fear all the time.
He said these things while speaking as the chief guest at a discussion meeting titled 'Mass Aspirations, Mass Uprising Expectations and Achievements' organized by Ganaanksha Manch at Nasrul Hamid Auditorium of Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) in Segunbagicha of the capital on Saturday (December 7).
Farida Akhtar said, 'Did India prevent the July-August coup? They gave shelter to Hasina. But, what has Bangladesh been able to keep? So why are we afraid of India! The change we want to bring about is the change our children have made. They have shown the whole world including India what mass uprising is. A popular uprising ousted the fascists of 15 years. Which no political party could do. So we are not afraid of India. India is creating a poker scare. They did a good job of it. Now all the political parties are talking about unity. We have to hold this unity.'
He said, 'The interim government has not come to power, it is not power, we have gone into responsibility. We do not deserve to be in power. Those who will be elected, should try not to sit in 'power'. That will be reform. We don't want to see anyone in power anymore. We have seen what a terrible thing power is. Those who will take responsibility, the political parties who want to be elected, must give the message in advance that you are not going to power. If you want to take responsibility then choose. Otherwise there is no right to choose.'
Hasnat Qayyum, the main coordinator of the state reform movement, said, 'There are many differences between the changes in Bangladesh and the past revolutions. This time the demand was to overthrow the dictatorial government. This movement has been made so that no one can become Hasina in the future. This government has been installed to change the autocratic system. This government should remember this. This change has happened to reform Bangladesh. We want a fair election with reforms. You have to give election roadmap. There has been a big change in the politics of Bangladesh. Awami League and India do not want reforms in Bangladesh. Hasina and her friends must be tried.
Director General of Bangladesh Press Institute Farooq Wasif said, 'Fascism has gone head today, but it is sitting in India and plotting. Without the amount of money and weapons left behind by the people and organizations he left behind, the government would have been able to function much more easily and carry out many fundamental reforms. Fascism still poses a threat behind us, one after the other demands, Chhatra League-Youth League workers are trying to destabilize the country by becoming rickshaw pullers-Ansar forces. Indian media is creating fake news and spreading rumours.
Gana-Akanksha Manch convener Abdul Majid Antar also spoke at the meeting under the chairmanship of Associate Professor of Sociology Department of Dhaka University. Samina Lutfa, Associate Professor of History Department of Rajshahi University. Citizens, students, farmers, laborers and landless representatives including Golam Sarwar, public university teacher Mrityunjay Das.
