BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Monday termed the hike in fuel price and transport fares an “arranged game” of the government to “pick public pockets”.
"This is a pocket-cutting government whom people call a pocket picker. It’s always picking public pockets by increasing the prices of essential items,” said the former state minister.
Speaking at a human-chain program, the BNP leader also said the government first took steps to cut public pockets by raising the prices of diesel and kerosene. “It did the same thing for the second time by increasing bus fares. These are their tricks and sort of arranged games.”
BNP’s Dhaka South and North city units arranged the human chain program in front of the Jatiya Press Club in protest against the fuel price hike.
Fakhrul said the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) made a surplus profit of Tk43,000 crore in the past.
“When the oil prices fell in the international market, the BPC didn’t reduce fuel prices. They brought money out of the pockets of the people with high prices.”
Though the oil prices have started rising in the international market, he said the BPC officials stated that they could keep the previous fuel prices for at least six months without a fresh hike in fuel prices.
“But the government did not do that as its nature is to indulge in looting public money. They’re making their pockets heavier through plundering and cutting people's pockets. They’re also siphoning off thousands of crores of taka abroad,” the BNP leader added.
Fakhrul also said the prices of all essentials will now go up further as an impact of the hike in fuel prices and transport fares.
On Wednesday, the government raised the prices of diesel and kerosene at the retail level.
The BNP leader mentioned people’s backs are pushed against the wall by increasing the prices of all commodities and necessary things.
The government is taking mega projects and building bridges and flyovers to show development, but common people are becoming poorer gradually, he observed.
Referring to media reports, he said people are killing themselves along with their children having failed to manage food and the cost of living. “The government has created an anarchic situation everywhere for lack of good governance and accountability.”
Fakhrul also said steps have been taken to execute a death penalty before the verdict by the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court…Two people had been hung a few days back before the verdict was delivered by the Appellate Division.
“It means there’s no accountability and discipline anywhere,” he added.
