PM promises equality for minorities

Representatives of ethnic minority communities on Thursday placed a set of long-standing demands before Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, including the formation of a land commission, constitutional recognition as indigenous peoples, and an end to evictions carried out in the name of development projects or reserved forests.

The demands were raised during a meeting at the Cabinet Division conference room at the Bangladesh Secretariat, according to the Prime Minister’s Deputy Press Secretary Suzauddhoula (Suzon Mahmood).

Among the other demands presented were the convening of a national convention for disadvantaged ethnic groups, recognition of communities by their respective ethnic identities rather than the umbrella term “ethnic minorities,” the establishment of a central cultural centre, and easier access to loans.

Responding to the demands, Tarique Rahman said the country is passing through an extremely difficult period and accused the previous government of destroying state institutions and the economy.

He alleged that about $16 billion had been siphoned abroad every year under the former administration, saying many of the communities’ problems could have been resolved had that money not been laundered.

The prime minister said his government is addressing the issues in phases, prioritising those that can be resolved immediately, while also underlining the need for national unity.

“The struggle before us is much bigger. To overcome it, everyone must remain united, work together and move forward together,” he told the meeting.

Tarique expressed surprise that many of the issues raised remained unresolved, saying they should have been addressed over the past 17 years.

“Had they been dealt with then, many of today’s problems would not exist,” he said, adding that his administration was now dealing with the consequences of years of mismanagement while trying to meet high public expectations.

Describing ethnic minority communities as an inseparable part of Bangladesh, the prime minister pledged to build a country where no community faces discrimination.

“My government and I are working to build a discrimination-free Bangladesh.

We want to move forward together in building the Bangladesh that people aspire to. We do not consider anyone to be separate. No one will be left behind in building a new Bangladesh,” Suzon quoted him as saying.

Tarique also accused the previous government of severely damaging the country’s education and healthcare sectors and outlined steps being taken to restore them.

Recalling that Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman had launched the upazila health complex programme with 31-bed hospitals, later upgraded to 50 beds under BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, he said the government has now decided to expand them to 101-bed facilities.

He further criticised the previous government’s union-level community healthcare centres, saying many remain largely non-functional, and noted that the 2026-27 budget had increased health sector allocations while reducing taxes on essential medical equipment, including kidney dialysis machines and heart stents.