'Unite against fundamentalism'

They made the call at a roundtable on 'Imperialism and communalism-Bangladesh under the grip of fundamentalism' held at Feni Association Auditorium in the city. The 11 Party organised the roundtable.

Identifying the operations of fundamentalist forces as the main threat to the nation in his introductory remarks, alliance Convenor Morshed Ali said "This threat cannot be faced without the unity of the people from all walks of life."

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"Fundamentalist forces are not only influential, they are currently sharing power in state administration allowing them to establish their control over educational and financial institutions," Ali said, adding that "On the other hand, militant parties are mushrooming across the country."

Rashed Khan Menon, president of Workers Party of Bangladesh, stressed the need for initiating a greater movement after a broad discussion on imperialism, communalism and fundamentalism.

Syed Abdul Maksud, a noted columnist, said "The rise of imperialism, communalism and fundamentalism is inter-related" adding that "Imperialism created communalism which, in turn, triggered the rise of fundamentalism."

"The mindset of the people of middle and ruling classes will have to be changed for a massive uprising. The movement against the fundamentalist forces cannot be fought separately," he added.

Saifuddin Ahmed Manik, Abdullah Sarkar,Prof Saaduddin of Dhaka University,Ajay Roy and Abdus Samad also spoke at the roundtable.