LDA demands three ministers’ resignation
Left Democratic Alliance (LDA) yesterday demanded resignation of the ministers for food, agriculture and finance, for their failure to ensure fair paddy price for farmers.
Leaders of LDA -- a platform of eight left-leaning parties -- from a press conference in the capital said Agriculture Minister Muhammad Abdur Razzaque, Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder and Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal cannot avoid their responsibilities as they failed to ensure fair paddy price.
“Farmers are setting fire to their paddy in fields or sacks because they cannot get fair prices. Food, agriculture and finance ministers are making irresponsible remarks. They should resign, taking responsibilities of the failure,” LDA coordinator Bazlur Rashid Feroz said.
“If the farmers lose their interest to grow paddy, food safety of the country will be threatened,” he added.
Feroz urged the government to ensure fair paddy price for farmers and to procure more paddy directly from farmers.
He made the comments against the backdrop of farmers’ demands for fair prices for their produce, as harvested coarse paddy is being sold at a lower price than production cost across the country.
Feroz also alleged that the government is creating scope of looting in banking sector by allowing loan defaulters a grace period of 10 years, with a down payment of maximum two percent of their outstanding loans.
“You should punish loan defaulters, not reward them,” he said.
On another note, Communist Party of Bangladesh General Secretary Shah Alam urged the government to meet the nine-point demand of state-owned jute mill workers, who also took to the street earlier this month, seeking payment of their arrears.
Revolutionary Workers Party General Secretary Saiful Haque also spoke at the event.
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