BNP on Wednesday extended its support to a half-day hartal to be enforced by Left Democratic Alliance (LDA) across the country on August 25 protesting the price hike of daily essentials, fuel and fertiliser as well as transport fares.

Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir made the announcement at a press conference at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office.

The press conference was arranged on giving the party’s reaction to the unbridled increase in the prices of essential commodities following the unusual fuel price hike.

As a journalist asked Fakhrul whether BNP would support the left parties’ hartal, he said, "We have already said that we always support the movement of any party for realising justified demands.”

Earlier on Aug 16, the Left Democratic Alliance (LDA), a platform of left-leaning political parties, called a nationwide half-day hartal on August 25, protesting the price hike of daily essentials, fuel and fertilizer.

In an abrupt move, the government increased the prices of diesel, octane and petrol by 42.5 per cent, 51.7 per cent and 51 per cent respectively on August 5.

Read: BNP sits with Ganosanghati Andolan

Currently, diesel is being sold at Tk 114 per litre, octane at Tk 135 per litre and petrol at Tk 130 per litre, pushing up the prices of all essential items.

On August 9, BNP took various programmes to continue the party’s protest against the increase in fuel prices, soaring prices of daily essentials and load shedding for long time.

As part of the programmes, the party today arranged the press conference on the rise in prices of daily essentials and inflation. The party will arrange a seminar on the energy sector in the capital on August 19.

Besides, the party has decided to continue protest rallies and demonstrations in metropolitan cities and their all wards, districts and upazilas from August 22.