Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu said on Friday that Bangladesh had long been a land of communal harmony, where people of different faiths have lived side by side peacefully.

There is no place for any form of violence in such a tolerant society, he said.

Calling on people to remain vigilant against those who seek to spread communal hatred in the name of religion for political gain, Dulu said, “Communalism is not religion; it is the politicisation of religion.”

The minister made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at a discussion organised in Lalmonirhat town on Friday morning to mark Janmashtami.

Lalmonirhat District Council Administrator AKM Mominul Haque and leaders of the Hindu community, among others, addressed the programme.

Following the discussion, a colourful procession paraded through the streets of the town.