Rice Tk 10 a kg never pledged

Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury yesterday said Awami League did not make any pre-poll pledge of giving rice at Tk 10 per kg and fertilizer free of cost.
She made this clarification while replying to a query before the journalists at her secretariat office as a few leaders of BNP have been saying that Awami League had pledged to give rice at Tk 10 and so they are asking to fulfil that "promise".
"For the sake of Allah, don't impose these things on us," said Matia.
She also said, "BNP is saying this. We have not said so anywhere." She requested the reporters to ask the main opposition BNP why they are doing so.
Showing AL election manifesto before the newsmen, Matia posed a counter question, "Where in the manifesto is it written that we will give rice at Tk 10 per kg and fertilizer free of cost?"
Matia noted that even in the Awami League Chief Sheikh Hasina's pre-polls speech on radio and television on December 27 she did not make such pledges.
"What we said is that during our rule in 1996 the price of rice was Tk 10 per kg but later it increased. This time we pledged that we would bring the price of rice and fertilizer at a tolerable level," the agriculture minister mentioned.
She said energy, agriculture and finance ministries are working on lowering the price of diesel and giving subsidy to fertilizer and added that a decision in this regard will be taken in today's (Monday) cabinet meeting. Matia said the decision will be made effective before sowing of boro starts.