Country heading for bankruptcy: GM Quader

Taking a swipe at the government for frequent power outages across the country, Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader on Tuesday feared that the country was heading towards bankruptcy.

"The people of the country are facing unbearable load-shedding for 4 to 10 hours. There're preparations to produce 20,000 MW of electricity, but the government is not capable of buying fuel for lack of money," he said.

Although the price of gas has fallen in the world market, the Jatiya Party chief said the government is also unable to procure gas as the exchequer does not have money.

He said Sri Lanka was facing load-shedding, a sharp rise in dollar price, a shortage of money to buy fuel and unusual price hikes of daily essentials before going into bankruptcy. "Exactly the same picture is now here in Bangladesh."

He came up with the remarks at a programme at the Jatiya Party Chairman's Banani office.

At the programme, Executive Secretary of Bangladesh Human Rights Commission (BHRC) Mirza Shahadat Hossain and BHRC General Secretary (International Special Representative) Golam Kibria Mollah joined Jatiya Party by presenting a bouquet to GM Quader.

GM Quader voiced concern that production of all goods is decreasing since it is not possible to keep industrial factories functioning for the lack of electricity.

As a result, he said many people have lost their jobs and become unemployed while the prices of essential commodities have increased several times.

Amid such a situation, the Jatiya Party chief said crores of takas are being allocated for mega projects like Sri Lanka and thousands of crores of taka are being laundered abroad," he observed.

"The government had earlier said the power situation will be normal from September. They're now saying it will be normal in November. No one knows when the electricity system will be back to normal. So, the country's people can't trust the words of the government," he observed.

GM Quader also said people are going through limitless suffering in the current economic reality of the country. "Though the government pledged to provide jobs in all houses, it has now created unemployment in every house. The government also announced to give per kg rice at Tk10, but now the rice is 70 taka per kg. People want to get free from such a miserable situation."

He said the by-polls to the Gaibandha-5 seat will be held on Wednesday, but the leaders and activists of his party there are not able to stay at home due to attacks and false cases.

"Supporters of the government are committing various types of criminal activities, but they're filing cases on false charges against Jatiya Party people implicating them with those offences… in fact, the country's electoral system has collapsed and people are no longer showing interest in elections" the Jatiya Party chief observed.