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With general elections in Bangladesh only months away, top Opposition leader and former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia is wooing the minority Hindu community offering sops to it if her Bangladesh Nationalist Party is voted to power.
Notwithstanding the BNP's close ties with fundamentalist Jamat-e-Islami, Begum Zia paid a visit to the famous Dhakeshwari temple in Dhaka on Wednesday evening -- her maiden visit to a Hindu shrine -- and urged the Hindus to extend all-out support to the BNP in the coming poll.
Hindus constitute 12 to 13 percent of Bangladesh's 130 million people. Accusing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League, traditionally perceived sympathetic towards Hindus, of grabbing land of temples, cremation grounds and houses of Hindus, Begum Zia was quoted by newspapers as assuring the Hindu community that the BNP would stand by them if they are attacked.
The occasion for Begum Zia's visit to Dhakeswari Mandir, the national temple of Hindus, was part of the observance of 20th death anniversary of her husband and Bangladesh's slain president Gen Ziaur Rahman. It was her first visit to a temple and this was the first time the death anniversary of Zia was held at a temple in the capital.
Ironically, Begum Zia, who had in 1996 parliamentary elections campaigned that Bangladesh would be part of India if the Awami League was voted to power, was quoted as telling the Hindus on Wednesday evening that they "change their attitude once in favour of the BNP".
Begum Zia, who had stated in the election campaigns of 1996 that the Azaan (call for Muslim prayer) would be replaced in Bangladesh by the blowing of conchshells if the Awami League came to power, was greeted in the Dhakeshwari temple in traditional Hindu style.
It was during the her prime ministership that around 3,000 temples in Bangladesh were damaged, many women raped and properties of Hindus destroyed following the demolition of Babri Mosque in India in December 1992.
As a mark of protest, a section of Hindus in Bangladesh did not celebrate their biggest religious festival Durga Puja with traditional pomp and instead restricted it to a symbolic puja ignoring threats from the then ruling party BNP and its frontal outfits, both overtly and covertly.
Nonetheless, Begum Zia continued to accuse her political rivals saying "Hindu community members have been repressed most during the rule of Awami League. The BNP is respectful to all religions. If anybody attacks, we will protest. If they (Awami League) unleashes attacks, inform us and we'll stand beside and protect you as brothers and friends".
Zia said if voted to power, Hindu institutions would be developed and steps taken so that people of all faiths, including Hindus, could practise their religion in a proper way.
Hindus in Bangladesh had till the other day a very poor representation in government jobs, especially in the higher echelons. Before the Awami League came to power 1996, not a single minority member had occupied the post of secretary, the top job in civil bureaucracy.
At present, there are five Hindus among 56 secretaries. Besides three ministers, including one with Cabinet rank, the Hasina government has appointed three Hindus as chiefs of diplomatic missions out of about 50 resident missions Bangladesh maintains around the world.
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