Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has said that no one in Bangladesh is a minority as an independent citizen and that everyone has the freedom to practise their religion.

He made the remarks at the inaugural programme of Janmashtami celebrations at Dhakeshwari Temple in the capital on Friday (September 4).

The home minister said people may have religious identities, but such identities are not the primary consideration for the state. “As independent citizens, no one should identify themselves as a minority,” he said.

He said he wanted to see this principle reflected not only in books but also in reality.

“We will maintain harmony among ourselves. That will be our only identity. That is why we say our leader has said—Bangladesh first. If Bangladesh comes first, then we are Bangladeshis first, followed by our religious, cultural and ethnic identities,” he said.

Urging everyone to maintain social and religious harmony, the home minister said members of the Hindu community had broken the notion of vote banks in the 13th parliamentary election.

The programme was chaired by Sri Gopal Chandra Debnath, president of the Mahanagar Sarbojanin Puja Udjapan Committee. Among others present were Sri Bijon Kanti Sarker, special assistant to the prime minister for Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and ethnic minority affairs, and Md Abdus Salam, administrator of Dhaka South City Corporation.