BNP stages demos protesting at gas price hike

Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its front organisations staged demonstrations in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country on Tuesday protesting against the gas price hike.

The party on Monday announced the countrywide protest programme alleging that the hike was made in a bid to advantage the pro-Awami League businessmen so that they could make money by charging higher prices from the common people.

Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission on Sunday increased the gas price by 32.8 per cent on an average for all consumers with effect from July 1, disregarding opposition from all sections of people.

In the protest rallies, BNP leaders also demanded immediate release of imprisoned party chairperson Khaleda Zia.

They also alleged that the government hiked the gas price so that AL’s businessmen who imported

liquid natural gas and other looters could make more money.

They warned that the hike would create anarchy in all sectors and said that the incumbent government had no responsibility to the countrymen since it was not an elected government.

They warned of waging a movement if the decision was not withdrawn.

In Bandarban district town, during the protest programme, police arrested the district Juba Dal assistant organising secretary Md Yusuf, the BNP alleged.

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, in a statement, condemned the arrest and alleged that 12 leaders and activists of the BNP and its front organisations were arrested in Bandarban.

He said that the government was arresting the BNP leaders and activists across the country to continue with their misrule. 

In Dhaka, Dhaka south city BNP and all its front organisations brought out a procession from the party’s central office at Naya Paltan in the capital around noon protesting against gas price hike and Khaleda’s jail sentence.

The procession, participated by several hundred party leaders and activists, ended at the same place after a short public meeting at Bijaynagar crossing.

Addressing the rally, BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi termed the incumbent government as a government of midnight elections.

He alleged that it took an anti-people decision of hiking gas price as it grabbed power by snatching people’s rights to vote and looting people’s properties to remain in power.

‘Throwing the common people into hardship they hiked gas price at consumer level,’ he said and also warned the government of waging a tough movement if the decision was not withdrawn immediately.

Rizvi also demanded Khaleda’s immediate release and alleged that the government had kept Khaleda in jail unjustly to enjoy the ‘illegal power’ for an extended period.

Dhaka south city BNP president Quazi Abul Bashar presided over the rally.

Addressing a human chain organised by Jatiyatabadi Chalok Dal in front of National Press Club in the capital protesting gas price hike, BNP joint secretary general mentioned that the AL government had hiked gas price in 10 occasions in the past 10 years and that increasing gas price has become a habit of the AL government.

New Age correspondent in Sylhet reported that leaders of Sylhet city BNP brought out a procession from Court Point in the city demanding cancellation of the decision of gas price hike.

The procession ended in front of the Central Shaheed Minar at Chowhatta in the city where they met in a rally.

Presided over by city BNP president Nasim Hossain, the rally was also addressed, among others, by the party’s central leader Abdur Razzak, city vice-president Humayun Kabir Shahin and Saleh Ahmad Khasru.

The BNP organised protest rallies in front of the party officers at Nasiman Bhaban in Chattogram, at KD Ghosh Road in Khulna, at Ashwini Kumar Hall premises in Barishal, at Nababbari Road in Bogura, at Malopara area in Rajshahi and at Lal Dighirpar in Jashore, New Age correspondents in the districts and cities reported.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net