BNP senior leader Gayeshwar Chandra Roy on Saturday warned that communal forces are rising in the country after the fall of fascism.
"Those whom you call fundamentalists, I also call them fundamentalists. They are now selling tickets to heaven," he said at a discussion.
Gayeshwar, a BNP standing committee member, said, "A party is telling people that if they stay with it, they will go to heaven, and if not, they will go to hell."
"Yet they themselves don't know whether they will go to heaven or not. That's why I say communal forces are on the rise in the country. We have freed ourselves from fascism, but instead of democratic values, a frenzy of communalism has started, which helps create mobs," he said.
The BNP leader warned that if the state system cannot be kept on the path of democracy, communalism would become twice as difficult as fascism and ultimately lead public life to destruction.
In today's modern world, he said, communal forces would not allow free thought and the growth of talent.
Gayeshwar said BNP believes in religious values but not in using religion to spread hatred.
"Whatever the faith one follows, religion is a way of life meant to guide people in the right direction," he said.
"What is considered a sin in religion is regarded as wrongdoing under modern state law. In the justice system, it is written what punishment matches which offence. Likewise, if one reads the Holy Quran or the Gita, it is also written what punishment will come after death for certain sins. So, there is no conflict between religion and the state system," the BNP leader said.
Human Research and Analysis Foundation organised the discussion titled "July Revolution and the Future Thoughts of Democracy" at the Jatiya Press Club.
Turning to the interim government, Gayeshwar said the current administration has little visibility as it has no clear direction. "Except for a few, no one speaks. Ministries are still being run by the administration left behind by Sheikh Hasina."
He also criticised the state of the media and social media, saying freedom must come with responsibility. "Media freedom does not mean saying anything about anyone. Social media has now become a place where people say whatever they like, which can mislead society, especially children."
The BNP leader stressed that democracy means people will elect a government through votes, and if they regret their choice, they can change it in the next election. "This simple path should not be made so difficult," he said.
On electoral reforms, Gayeshwar took a swipe at the proportional representation (PR) system, saying the interim government has turned reform into superstition. "I don't understand PR, but I hear it is exercised in Nepal. It seems that in that system you could have one prime minister in the morning, another in the afternoon, and a different one at night."
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