Committed to minority safety, cordial ties with India; won’t let fundamentalism spread: Lone Hindu minister in B’desh govt

Nitai Roy Chowdhury, 77, lone Hindu minister in prime minister Tarique Rahman-led govt and vice-chairman of Bangladesh Nationalist Party's central committee, said his administration was committed to ensuring the safety of all minorities and restoring cordial relations with India, asserting that fundamentalism would not be allowed to spread in Bangladesh.

Chowdhury spoke to TOI in an exclusive interview over phone after taking oath as culture minister along with 48 other members, including state ministers, in the cabinet headed by Rahman. He was also among the only four candidates from minority communities, all from BNP, who won in the February 12 elections .

Among the 25 newly elected members of National Parliament from BNP who took oath as ministers alongside the newly sworn-in PM, Chowdhury, a party veteran, won from Magura-2 constituency with 1.47 lakh votes, defeating Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami's Mustarshid Billah, who secured 1.17 lakh votes.

Referring to the state of governance he inherited, Chowdhury said the previous govt led by Sheikh Hasina had left the country's institutions in tatters. "Almost everything was in disorder," he said, adding that after being elected to form the new govt, it was their duty to bring the country back on track. He said the BNP did not want to indulge in criticism of the past but aimed to move forward with new hopes and dreams to put Bangladesh on the path of development.

Explaining what he meant by institutional damage, Chowdhury alleged that when Hasina fled Bangladesh in 2024, the country was "completely broken". He claimed the biggest damage was done to the education system, alleging that it had become policy under Awami League to pass 98% of students in examinations irrespective of merit. "It was done to falsely show that the literacy rate of Bangladesh was increasing along with the passing percentage of students," he said.

He also accused the previous regime of damaging the country's cultural fabric. During the Awami League govt, he said, "all sorts of obscene dance and music along with hooliganism were encouraged while pushing our actual cultural values on the backburner." He said the new govt would work to repair these pillars while upholding the ethos of unity in diversity, which he claimed had been ruined.

On apprehensions regarding the safety of minorities, particularly Hindus, amid incidents such as the brutal killing of Dipu Chandra Das and concerns over rising fundamentalism, Chowdhury pointed to what he described as a significant turnout of Hindu voters in the recent elections. He said such turnout was not witnessed in other communities and reflected a shift in political thinking.

"Hindus realised that they cannot be treated as mere vote-bank by any party in Bangladesh. They felt that they are an inseparable part of this Bangladesh," Chowdhury said, adding that members of the community had businesses, properties and livelihood in the country, with their children studying in local schools, which they could not leave overnight.

He said the PM and other BNP leaders met Hindu voters before the elections to assure them of safety and security. "They realised that they too are independent citizens of this country with equal rights to life and livelihood as mentioned in our constitution. Hence, they voted in large numbers for the BNP, for which we are grateful," he said.

Chowdhury said most political parties had now realised the importance of Hindus in electoral politics, noting that their support was crucial in at least 80 of the total 297 constituencies in National Parliament. He said that earlier the majority of Hindu voters had supported Awami League, but after its leaders fled the country in 2024, many felt insecure. He credited Rahman with working to remove that fear and win their support.

On ties with India, which had taken a hit during the interim govt led by Mohammed Yunus following the toppling of Sheikh Hasina govt in 2024, Chowdhury said it was the new administration's duty to develop good relations with all neighbours, including India. "We want to have ties which have mutual respect, interest, and understanding," he said.

"We will work on issues related to internal security of both Bangladesh and India, because we believe that will make a strong base for mutual respect between the two," he added.

As culture minister, Chowdhury said Bengali culture was rich and that Bangladesh had cultural ties with at least 48 countries, including India. He said the govt would strengthen these ties by focusing on traditions followed by previous generations while fighting fundamentalism and anti-cultural elements. "We all together will work for a better Bangladesh," he said.