Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday sounded a strong warning against illegal hoarders and market manipulators saying that they would face the music.

“If anyone hoards any goods out of ill-motive, we’ll have to take instant action against them through mobile courts and if needed send them to jail,” she said.

Bangladesh Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina said this while chairing a meeting of AL Central Working Committee in her residence Ganabhaban.

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She said the sudden price-hike (of essentials) after the election is a very abnormal matter.

“It is very essential to find out who are manipulators behind it. Not only find them, but also take instant actions against them. We’ll do it in future,” she added.

The premier urged the people of the country to stay vigilant so that none could play games with the (prices of) food items by hoarding and black marketeering.  “There is no meaning to playing games with the food of people,” she said.

Coming down heavily on those who question the recently held 12th parliamentary election, Sheikh Hasina said the people accepted this election.

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“Attempts are being made to create unnecessary confusion. Not only that, all of a sudden, the prices of rice and (some other) commodities went high after the election,” she added.The AL chief said the people spontaneously exercised their franchise in the January 7 general election despite campaigns carried out asking voters not to cast votes.

Noting that there are attempts to wage movements in the RMG sector alongside price-hike of essentials, she said having failed to thwart the election, they (BNP) now want to start again in an alternative way.

“We’ll not allow them to play ducks and drakes with the fate of the people of Bangladesh,” she said.

The PM said the people are pleased and happy that the election was held and Awami League formed the government.

“Insh'Allah, any abnormal situation won’t take place anymore in Bangladesh,” she said, adding that they established democracy and it would continue.The socioeconomic development of the people of this country would be ensured through the continuation of democracy, she added.

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Noting that her government will make further development of the country, she said they would keep arrangements to give a befitted reply to those who come to obstruct the development journey of Bangladesh.In the meeting, the upcoming countrywide upazila election was discussed.

AL presidium members Engineer Mosharraf Hossain, Begum Matia Chowdhury, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim and Kazi Zafarullah, AL general secretary Obaidul Quader, and AL central working committee member Abul Hasnat Abdullah were on the dais.