Jamaat protests power, fuel price hikes; demands rollback
The burden of such irregularities was being shifted onto ordinary consumers instead of addressing systemic issues, Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar says
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has strongly condemned the recent government decision to raise electricity and fuel prices, calling for its immediate withdrawal.
At a protest rally held today (June 4) at the North Gate of the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in Dhaka, party leaders said that prices of energy and fuel had been increased twice within a month despite stability in the international market, putting severe pressure on people's cost of living.
Addressing the gathering, Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar said the government had previously assured that electricity tariffs would not be raised for two years, but had now increased prices within a few months.
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He alleged that the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) had pushed through what he described as an "anti-people decision" after a hurried four-day public hearing.
Porwar further claimed that the real problems in the power sector stem from corruption, system losses, and excessive "capacity charges" under quick rental power plants.
He said the burden of such irregularities was being shifted onto ordinary consumers instead of addressing systemic issues.
The Jamaat leader also argued that the price hikes were being made to meet conditions set by international lenders, including the IMF and World Bank, which he said were harming public welfare.
Referring to the finance ministry, he said Bangladesh was not obliged to act as "subordinate" to international financial institutions, accusing the authorities of increasing public suffering by following their directives.
Dhaka Metropolitan South Jamaat chief Nurul Islam Bulbul warned that rising electricity and diesel prices would significantly increase production costs in agriculture, irrigation, transport, and industry, ultimately pushing essential commodity prices beyond the reach of ordinary people.
He also alleged a conspiracy over Islami Bank Bangladesh and criticised what he called the "illegal appointment" of its chairman, vowing resistance against the move.
He further condemned the use of force by police, including baton charges and sound grenades, against bank customers in Motijheel.
The party's Assistant Secretary General Rafiqul Islam Khan criticised the overall law and order situation and the government's failure to stabilise commodity prices, urging immediate reductions in gas, electricity, and fuel prices.
Leaders and activists from Jamaat and Chhatra Shibir from various Dhaka metropolitan units joined the rally and subsequent procession, which was organised to protest rising energy prices and escalating living costs.
The government recently raised electricity tariffs by 16.68% at the consumer level as part of efforts to ease the power sector's mounting subsidy burden – a move that economists, industry leaders and energy analysts warn could fuel inflation, increase business costs and further strain households already grappling with rising living expenses.
The BERC yesterday (3 June) increased the weighted average retail electricity tariff by Tk1.52 per unit, raising it from Tk9.11 to Tk10.63 per kilowatt-hour.
In a separate adjustment, the government also raised retail prices of octane, petrol and kerosene by Tk5 per litre for June, while diesel prices were kept unchanged on 31 May.
According to a notification issued by the Energy and Mineral Resources Division, octane is now priced at Tk145 per litre, up from Tk140 previously. Petrol prices have also been increased by Tk5 to Tk140 per litre, while kerosene has risen by the same margin to Tk135 per litre.
However, diesel, the country's most widely used fuel, has been kept unchanged at Tk115 per litre.
