He made these remarks on Friday (October 24) during his speech as the chief guest at the traditional cultural festival of the Garo community, ‘Wangala,’ held at the field of Banani Vidyaniketan School and College in the capital.
Mirza Fakhrul said, “Every community in Bangladesh—Bengalis, Garos, and other minority ethnic groups—are equal citizens of this country. The nationalism of the martyred President Ziaur Rahman has united all religions and ethnic groups under one flag.”
He further mentioned that if the BNP comes to power, a separate ‘Ethnic Culture Academy’ will be established in Dhaka, and traditional festivals of minority communities will be officially celebrated by the government.
At the event, BNP Joint Secretary General Emran Saleh Prince said, “Under the leadership of Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman, we want to build a Bangladesh where every individual has equal opportunities for dignity and rights.”
Special guest Bangladesh National Party (BJP) Chairman Andalib Rahman Partha said, “We have deep respect and responsibility toward all minority communities in the country, including the Garos. It is not about numbers; together, we are Bangladesh.”
The Wangala festival of the Garo community is a day to express gratitude to the Creator after harvesting the new crops. The festival is celebrated throughout the day with dance, music, and various cultural activities.
Also present at the event were Mrigen Hagidok, President of the Nationalist Minority Ethnic Party; Parag Rishil, Director of the Birishiri Minority Ethnic Cultural Academy; and Shubhojit Sangma, President of the Wangala Celebration Committee.
Towards the end of the program, Emran Saleh announced that the next Wangala festival will be held in Haluaghat on November 15 and invited everyone to participate.