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its greatest achievement must understand that the honorarium for freedom fighters should not, under any circumstances, be equated with that of any other group. If such comparisons are made, the country will eventually pay a price -- if not now, then perhaps five years from now,” he said.

Without naming anyone, Fazlur said, “Many people seem uncomfortable with the word ‘culture’. But what kind of culture do they dislike? They dislike the village plays we staged. They dislike the tradition of farmers going to watch jatra performances after planting paddy in winter.”

“They even object to football. Some now say those who watch football are ‘kafirs’ and that matches involving Argentina or Brazil should not be watched. They want to drag us back into mediaeval barbarism. Are we prepared to accept that?” he asked.

“They do not accept Sufism and attack shrines. They want to burn them with fire. I respect maulanas and moulvis, but what wrong have the pirs done? Why was someone hacked to death in Kushtia?” he asked.

“The number of such people has grown, as has their arrogance. They reject civilisation and culture and refuse to listen to differing views. They seek only to exploit religion for personal gain. They are profiteers in the name of religion,” he added.

Fazlur also demanded a separate ministry for the country’s haor areas.