BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday alleged that the government has completely failed to control the market ahead of the holy month of Ramadan as the prices of all commodities have skyrocketed.
"The government has completely failed to solve the problems of people and give them comfort. It has also failed to reduce the prices of all essential commodities, including rice, pulses and oil," he said.
He made the remarks at a token five-hour-long mass hunger strike arranged by BNP’s Dhaka city north and south units in front of the Jatiya Press Club.
The hunger strike began at 10am and continued until 3pm.
Several hundred leaders and activists of the party and its associate bodies joined the programme protesting the growing price hike of key commodities and utility services.
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A large number of law enforcers were deployed near the venue to maintain law and order.
Mirza Fakhrul formally inaugurated the programme participated by party senior leaders, including its standing committee members and conveners of BNP’s Dhaka north and south units.
He said Ramadan which will begin on Sunday is an important month for Muslims all over the world. “But what is this government doing? The price of everything has skyrocketed only because of the unrestrained greed of the government and their business syndicates. ”
The BNP secretary general called upon people to come forward for ousting the Awami League government from power to get rid of the current situation of the country.
"This unelected government has created a terrible situation in the country. The existence of people of the country will be at stake if we can't defeat and oust them (AL) from the power,” he said.
Fakhrul said they are sending out a message to the government through the hunger strike programme that people have no confidence in it. “They must step down.”
He asked the government hand over the power to a neutral administration, paving the way for holding a free and fair election by forming an impartial Election Commission.
BNP standing committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, Nazrul Islam Khan, Nagorik Oikya convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna and leaders and BNP’s different alliance partners also spoke at the programme.
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Later, Fakhrul and other BNP leaders broke the hunger strike by sipping water offered by Dhaka University ex-Vice-chancellor Prof Anwar Ullah Chowdhury.
Since last February last, the BNP has been staging demonstrations across the country, including in the capital, protesting unusual price hike in essntail commodities.