Rizvi: Tk 14 per litre subsidy persists despite fuel price rise

BNP Acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi acknowledged on Monday that the government must still shoulder a subsidy of Tk 14 per litre even after raising fuel prices, while maintaining that Bangladesh's rates remain lower than those in many other countries.

Speaking after a meeting with leaders of the party's affiliated organisations at its central office in Paltan on Monday (September 21), Rizvi censured the opposition for staging a long march without tabling a viable alternative to the fuel-price increase. Furthermore, he deemed the rhetoric employed by opposition figures unbecoming, contending that the government was making concerted efforts to alleviate the country's gas and electricity shortages.

Nevertheless, he alleged that the opposition was attempting to mislead the public and sow confusion over the government's initiatives. Moreover, he claimed that it was engaged in a conspiracy to destabilise the country, cautioning that BNP would not remain passive should a one-point movement be launched.

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However, Rizvi clarified that BNP would not obstruct such a programme in the manner of the Awami League, arguing that forestalling violence should not prove arduous for a democratic government. Meanwhile, he said the party's affiliated organisations would stage rallies and demonstrations against what he termed planned violence and attempts to undermine stability. Additionally, he revealed that efforts were under way to identify individuals within the administration who were allegedly seeking to foment instability.