Control prices, BNP urges govt

BNP standing committee has demanded that the government lower prices of diesel, kerosene and LPG, considering public sufferings.

At a virtual meeting on Monday night, the BNP policymaking body also urged the government to take prompt, effective steps to lower prices of daily essentials, including rice, pulses, edible oil and salt.

The meeting discussed the overall impact of the fuel price hike on citizens' lives and the economy, said a press release signed by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir yesterday.

"The meeting thinks the number of the poor people will increase, and public sufferings will deepen further, due to the price hike of fuel oil and LPG, as the incomes of many have declined, while many others lost their jobs during the pandemic," Fakhrul said.

He said BNP policymakers decided that BNP and its associate bodies will observe programmes in protest against the price hike.

Fakhrul said the meeting expressed deep concern over a survey that found the number of "new poor" in the country stands at around 3.24 crore.

A survey jointly conducted by Power and Participation Research Centre, and Brac Institute of Governance and Development revealed that 79 lakh people joined the previous 2.45 crore new poor population, following Covid-19's second wave.

Unplanned restrictions to contain the coronavirus, not announcing financial incentives for low-income people and the informal sector, depriving mill and factory workers of due wages, and not providing marginalised people with food and other assistance exacerbated the situation, the BNP policymakers observed.

The BNP standing committee meeting also voiced concern over the recent killing of two Bangladeshis by Indian Border Security Force members along Dona border in Sylhet's Kanaighat upazila.