Rizvi questions Jamaat long march amid fuel crisis

BNP Acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has questioned the rationale behind the Jamaat-led 11-party alliance's long march to Rangpur amid Bangladesh's ongoing fuel crisis, while also raising concerns over recent acts of violence and Jamaat-e-Islami's political role.

Speaking at a discussion organised by the Jatiyatabadi Samomona Jote at the Jatiya Press Club in Dhaka on Tuesday, Rizvi said around 450 vehicles had reportedly taken part in the September 19 long march. He questioned the fuel consumed by such a sizeable convoy at a time when the country was grappling with an energy shortage.

Meanwhile, Rizvi criticised Jamaat's political activities and called for protests against violence, vandalism and alleged sabotage, alongside campaigns over rising prices, extortion and corruption. He also questioned the reported arson and cocktail explosions in several areas, linking them to political activity while raising doubts about who bore responsibility.

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On fuel prices, Rizvi claimed the government was still bearing a loss of about Tk 70 per litre of diesel even after the recent Tk 20 increase. The government, however, has separately said diesel would have cost approximately Tk 205 per litre at internationally linked prices and that the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation incurred losses of Tk 22,875 crore between March and August.