Not govt’s job to decide what people will eat: Mirza Fakhrul

BNP yesterday alleged that the incumbent government has been snatching away people’s happiness, after snatching away their voting rights.

Party general secretary Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir blamed ruling party-backed businessmen for the skyrocketing prices of daily essentials.

Addressing a press conference at party’s Nayapaltan headquarters, he said price of onion is around Tk 220-230. Price of rice has increased Tk 10-15 per kg and for flour it has increased Tk 5-10 per kg, he added.

“The government is asking people not to have onion, as it failed to control the price hike. Will the government now ask people to stop eating rice? Price of oil has also gone up; will government ask people to stop consuming oil?” the BNP leader questioned.

He said it is not up to the government to decide what people will eat or not. “It means the government has completely failed to control the market.”

Fakhrul said during the 2008 election campaign, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said if she was voted to power, rice would be sold at Tk 10 per kg. “But according to calculations, in the last year prices of everything has increased 437 times.”

The BNP leader said, “The incumbent government does not have any accountability to the people, because they were not elected by people’s votes.”

Fakhrul demanded fresh election under a non-partisan interim government, saying that otherwise sufferings of people will escalate further.

The BNP leader said if the syndicate backed by the ruling party is not broken and TCB is not strengthened, then prices of daily essentials will not decrease.

Fakhrul said it would not be possible to reduce prices of daily essentials with speeches. “Because people who are responsible for price hike are people of Awami League.”

When asked whether the party will protest the price hike of daily essentials, Fakhrul said they have already observed some programmes, and if needed, programmes will be carried out in the future.

When asked about the price hike of electricity, Fakhrul said some of his party colleagues participated in the mass hearing and made their statements. “If price of electricity is hiked, then we will certainly announce programmes.”

Urging people to come forward to raise their voices against the “misdeeds” of the government, Fakhrul said price hike of daily essentials including onion, and that of electricity, does not affect only BNP but also people of the country.