WB fund cancellation artificial crisis: Suranjit
Minister without portfolio Suranjit Sengupta yesterday termed cancellation of Padma Bridge loan by World Bank (WB) an artificial crisis created with political motive.
“The cancellation of the loan by the World Bank is an artificial crisis and it was done with political intention,” he said while addressing a discussion at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in the capital.
Criticising the WB's decision to cancel the loan after three years of signing the deal, Suranjit said, “This is really unfortunate and mysterious. The role of the opposition in this respect is more shameful than theirs [WB].”
He also hoped that the global lending agency will review its decision.
Referring to Prof Muhammad Yunus, Suranjit said they do not expect the name of the country's only Nobel laureate to crop up in the Padma bridge loan cancellation issue.
“Dr Yunus is an asset for our impoverished country. But when the nation is moving forward, we do not want to see his name to have any involvement in this [Padma Bridge] issue,” he said.
State Minister for Law Quamrul Islam, who was also present at the discussion, said a vested quarter is engaged in conspiracy to tarnish the government's image.
Referring to Padma Bridge issue, he said, “We think the WB did not take the right decision and will realise the mistake it has made.”
In another programme in the capital, BNP leader Moudud Ahmed said the government is trying to create a smokescreen and mislead people by their announcement to build the bridge with domestic resources.
“The government is talking about constructing the bridge with own fund only to hush up their corruption in the project,” he said.
They have resorted to a ploy of punishing people by imposing surcharge instead of punishing those charged with corruption by the WB, he added.
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