The BJP general secretary did not speak further on the issue, and instead asked Bangladesh to keep fundamental forces at bay. The BJP general secretary did not speak further on the issue, and instead asked Bangladesh to keep fundamental forces at bay.

BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav said on Tuesday that although cow protection was sacred, lynching in the name of cow protection is not. “Cow is sacred. Cow protection is sacred too. But life itself is sacred, and there is nothing sacred in lynching or taking life in the name of cow protection,” Madhav said at the valedictory function of a three-day India-Bangladesh Friendship Dialogue said.

The BJP general secretary did not speak further on the issue, and instead asked Bangladesh to keep fundamental forces at bay. “Fundamentalism, along with terrorism, seems to threaten the core values in both India and Bangladesh. Banga-bandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had way back in 1972 warned that politics of communalism would not be allowed in Bangladesh. The Banga-bandhu had also made it clear that Bangladesh would be a secular state where all people would practise their respective religions,” Madhav said.

Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy, too, said, fundamentalism was among certain irritants Bangladesh must address. “There are certain irritants that Bangladesh must address. Some of these are sensitive in nature, but one must speak out. Fundamentalism is a case in point, and such incidents are occurring very often. India is worried over the rise of fundamentalism in Bangladesh,” Governor Roy said.

Roy, who presided over the valedictory session of the three-day conference, pointed at two recent incidents in the neighbouring country and hoped that the Bangladesh prime minister would personally look into the issue of ensuring security to minorities. “Last week, a rath-yatra with a 400-year old tradition was stopped in Dhamrai. Today a temple was desecrated in Tahirpur. Bangladesh has to address this issue. I am sure Prime Minister Hasina Sheikh will take care of this issue. We can merely express concern,” the Tripura Governor said.

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