BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Monday termed the hike in fuel price and transport fares an ‘arranged game’ of the government to “pick public pockets”.
"This is a pocket-cutting government whom people call a pocket picker. It’s always picking public pockets by increasing the prices of essential items,” he said.
Speaking at a human-chain programme, the BNP leader also said the government first took steps to cut public pockets by raising the prices of diesel and kerosene, reports UNB.
“It did the same thing for the second time by increasing bus fares. These’re their tricks and sort of arranged games,” he said.
BNP’s Dhaka South and North city units arranged the human chain programme in front of the Jatiya Press Club in protest against the fuel price hike.
Fakhrul said the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) made a surplus profit of Tk 43,000 crore in the past. “When the oil prices fell in the international market, the BPC didn’t reduce fuel prices. “They brought money out of the pockets of the people with high fuel prices.”
Though the oil prices have started rising in the international market, he said the BPC officials stated that they could keep the previous fuel prices for at least six months without a fresh hike in fuel prices.
“But the government did not do that as its nature is to indulge in looting public money. They’re making their pockets heavier through plundering and cutting people's pockets. They’re also siphoning off thousands of crores of taka abroad,” the BNP leader said.
Fakhrul said the prices of all essentials will now go up further as an impact of the hike in fuel prices and transport fares.
On Wednesday, the government raised the prices of diesel and kerosene at the retail level.
The BNP leader said people’s backs are pushed against the wall by increasing the prices of all commodities and necessary things.
He said the government is taking mega projects and building, bridges and flyovers to show development, but common people are becoming poorer gradually.
Referring to media reports, he said people are killing themselves along with their children who have failed to manage food and the cost of living.
He said the government has created an anarchic situation everywhere for lack of good governance and accountability.
“Steps have been taken to execute a death penalty before the verdict by the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court…two people had been hung a few days back before the verdict was delivered by the Appellate Division. ”It means there’s no accountability and discipline anywhere.”