The BNP says that people will not accept the government’s decision to raise gas prices.
“Our stance is clear,” BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said at a media briefing at the party’s central offices on Sunday. “We will never accept a rise in the price of gas. Neither will the people of this country.”
“We will protest it as much as we can.”
The BIRC is holding public hearings on proposals from gas companies to increase the price of LNG to consumers due the cost of importing it.
Consumers, energy experts and businessmen have voiced their opposition to the price hike at the hearings.
Mirza Fakhrul was asked for his opinion on the recent US State Department report on human rights issues.
“This report shows the true picture of what is happening,” he said.
“It is not just the US State Department’s human rights report. Media from all over the world – Al Jazeera, CNN, BBC, The Guardian, The Washington Post, The New York Times have written clearly on how the election was not proper.”
“They have shown how the desires of the people and their opinions have not been reflected in the votes. The Indian papers have also expressed the opinion that the election was not proper. There is not dispute over this.”
“The people of Bangladesh know it was not an election,” Fakhrul said. “There is tremendous censorship of the Bangladesh media. They have been restrained and so they can’t speak. But even then they are trying to say what they can. We are very respectful of the media. We thank them for continuing their work, even in such difficult circumstances.”