Interim Government's Chief Adviser Nobel Laureate Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus on Saturday called upon the students and people to ensure the protection of minority communities of the country, alleging that vested quarters were fuelling a ruckus through perpetrating attack on minorities.
"Newspapers publish reports that there were attacks on minority communities. Why are they struggling? Are they not citizens of the country? You (students) have been able to save the country, aren't you able to save the minority families," he told the students who participated in the anti-discriminatory student movement.
Dr Yunus was exchanging views with the students of Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur (BRUR) on Saturday during a day-long visit to the city, as he went to home of Shaheed Abu Sayed, a student of the university, who was killed in police firing during the student's quota reform movement, to console his parents. He asked the students to protect all the Hindus, the Christians and the Buddhists and other families from any kind of harm, mentioning the attack as "heinous acts".
"You have to say -- no one can harm them. They are my brothers, we fought together, we will stay together," he added
Mentioning that whole Bangladesh is like a family, the Nobel Laureate said that "There is no more beautiful family than this. There are many countries in the world and there is no such beautiful family."
He expressed his firm resolve that students would take the country to a new height. "This Rangpur, Bangladesh is now in your hands. Where you want to take it? You can take it wherever you want. You have that power. This is not a matter of research. It is the power within you," he said.
Remembering Abu Sayed for scarifying his life, the Chief Adviser said Abu Sayed is an epic character. "In the future, many poems, many literatures and many things will be written on him."
Chief Adviser mentioned that the students and youths of Bangladesh astonished the whole world also."What you have done here is our second victory. May this victory festival not slip from our hands! You only can do it. None of us (old ones) can," he said.
Dr Yunus also urged the people who have crossed their youth age limit to step aside as they are creating obstacles.
Mentioning that a dream is needed to do any work, he said, "If there is no dream, there will be chaotic works. If you have a dream, if you jump after the dream, you will see that it is done. At first, it seems impossible. When you get down to work, you will see that it is done. The power you have is the power to make what is impossible to possible. Nothing is impossible in front of you."
He requested the youth folks not to step back ever.
Dr Yunus also said that the old people of the country failed to do what the students have done in the country.
"We can't do that we have failed. Where you were supposed to go, we could not take you there," he said.
He warned the students not to fail this time as there are many people standing there to make their efforts futile.
The Chief Adviser vowed to do whatever needed for cleaning. "We will clean everything, we have no relief until we clean everything," he said.
In another event with the government officials in Rangpur Circuit House, Dr Yunus asked them to return to the discipline.
He also called upon them to work dedicatedly to turn Bangladesh finally a civilised country as his government will do possible everything to establish the lawful rights of the country's citizens.
