Govt has no plans to halt power supply in daytime
Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud said the government has not taken any decision to halt power supply during the daytime.
He said what Prime Minister's Energy Adviser Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury said on the matter was his personal statement and only he could explain it.
The minister was replying to a question from a journalist during a meeting at the Secretariat yesterday.
"The prime minister's adviser can explain his suggestion about stopping electricity use during the daytime, but it's not a suggestion from the government," said Hasan, also the joint general secretary of the Awami League.
Amid an energy crisis which has led to severe load-shedding in the country, the PM's adviser on Sunday called upon the people to try to save electricity so that more gas could be supplied to industries.
Addressing a group of businesspeople and trade body leaders during an event at a city hotel, Tawfiq-e-Elahi asked the businesspeople to make a pledge "not to use electricity during the daytime".
About Saturday's Khulna rally by the BNP, Hasan said bus and launch owners had called strikes on their own and the government or the AL didn't have any influence in their decisions.
BNP activists vandalised newly built Khulna Railway Station and attacked the Doulatpur AL office during the rally, the minister alleged.
"Bus-launch owners and workers were worried as the BNP carried out arson attacks on buses and launches from 2013 to 2015 and burnt workers and passengers to death. That's why they enforced the strikes."
Regarding a statement by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir at the rally, Hasan said party Chairperson Khaleda Zia before the 2008 general election had said the AL won't be able to win even 30 parliamentary seats, but unfortunately it was her party which won only 29.
"My concern is that Fakhrul's statement of 10 seats would become true for themselves like it happened to Begum Zia's statement on 30 seats."
About Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader's recent anti-government statements, Hasan said, "Actually, many people call Jatiya Party 'B Team'. So, he is making some tough statements to show that they are the opposition party. This is good."
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