No move to hike gas tariffs to be accepted: BNP

BNP on Friday strongly opposed the government's move to hike gas tariffs and warned that people will not accept it in any way.

"There's a proposal to raise the gas prices of double-burner stove connections to Tk2,100 from Tk975 and single-burner stove Tk2,000 from Tk925 at the consumer level," said BNP senior leader Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain.

Speaking at a discussion, he said a threefold increase in gas prices has been proposed unreasonably.

"We would like to clearly say that gas prices cannot be hiked. Any increase in the gas tariffs won't be accepted. We strongly oppose such a move," the BNP leader said.

BNP's Dhaka south and north city units jointly arranged the programme at the Jatiya Press Club, marking party founder Ziaur Rahman's 86th birth anniversary.

Mosharraf, a BNP standing committee member, said the government raised the prices of fuel oil, diesel and electricity a few days back, causing serious public sufferings.

He said the government is implementing big projects taking money from people's pockets and creating scopes for the ruling party to get big commissions.

The BNP leader alleged that the ruling party leaders are siphoning off huge money abroad through indulging in plundering and 'corruption'.

He said the current government is least bothered about public sufferings since it is not elected by people.

"We'll no longer tolerate the unfair activities of the government. We must ensure the fall of this regime to get rid of all these injustices. Let's all work together to attain this goal," Mosharraf said.

About 12 Human Rights (HR) organisations' a letter to United Nations to ban Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) from deploying the peacekeeping missions, he said Awami League thought that it would be able to overcome the consequences of oppression and suppression by keeping people's mouths shut.

"But the entire world now knows that there are no human rights in Bangladesh... The sanctions were also imposed by the US on an organisation in Bangladesh and its some high officials. It's a matter of shame for us as a nation," the BNP leader observed.

He said Bangladesh is being humiliated in this way only because of Awami League's lust for staying in power by force.

Mosharraf called upon the people of all walks of life and all democratic forces to get united to overcome the current situation of the country and restore its dignity by establishing a democratic and elected government.

"No autocratic regime will willingly quit power without a push...The people of Bangladesh could oust autocratic ruler Ershad. Of course, we're hopeful that the people of this country will overthrow the current despotic regime in the same way to restore democracy," he said.