‘Govt least concerned about public suffering’

Voicing deep concern over the “skyrocketing” onion price, BNP senior leader Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury yesterday alleged that the government has done nothing to control the market.

“Onion price used to come down after Eid-ul-Azha in the past, but we’re now seeing a reverse trend. The price has been gradually increasing since Eid. It’s being sold at Tk 140 per kg …onion is now more expensive than apple. It’s a mockery,” he said.

He came up with the remarks while speaking at a discussion arranged by Jatiyatabadi Projonmo 71 at Jatiya Press Club in Dhaka.

Khosru, a BNP standing committee member, said the prime minister and her ministers are also treating onion price hike as a “trifling matter”, asking people not to consume it as a solution.

“If prices of eggs, oil and rice go up then the government may suggest not consuming those as the easiest solution,” he added.

He said the government is not at all serious about checking the onion price hike, as it is least concerned about public suffering -- considering it does not require their votes.

Khasru, a former commerce minister, said the government has no accountability to people as it has become the “owner of the country” by snatching away people’s rights.

“So, it matters little to the government whether onion is sold at Tk 100 or Tk 140,” he said.

Earlier at a press conference at the party’s Nayapaltan central office, BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi alleged that the prices of essentials, especially that of onion, keep shooting up due to the government’s “wrong policy, corruption and foul play by a pro-ruling party syndicate”.

“Price of onion continues to rise breaking all the previous records.

The local variety of onion is selling at Tk 140-145 per kg in the market while Indian ones at Tk 130-140,” the BNP leader said.

He said onion price increased by 200 percent in one year and 61 percent in the outgoing month.

Stating that the skyrocketing price of onion has become a shock for the nation, Rizvi said the prices of onion and other commodities have gone up due to “corruption and wrong policy” of the government.

He also alleged that the “government backed-business syndicate” has raised the onion price to make a quick buck. “The onion price must be brought within the reach of people immediately.”