Govt trying to 'burn children to death' by opening schools amid heatwave: Rizvi

The government is trying to 'burn children to death' in the summer heat, the BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said today (26 April), in strong criticism of the government's decision to open schools from next week.

"The roads are so hot that people are avoiding going out. In the meantime, the government has decided to keep the schools and colleges open on Saturdays as well. In other words, this government wants to burn these children and teenagers in the fire," he said while addressing a saline and drinking water distribution progamme of the BNP in the capital's Fakirapool.

Referring to his student days, the BNP leader said, "We used to spend summer vacations even during the Pakistan regime. However, this government kept schools open for 15 days in the month of Ramadan, a month of worship. Where schools are supposed to remain closed two days a week, this government is keeping the institutions open on Saturdays too."

"The government can only do this because it is an enemy to the mass people. It would not have taken such policies if it weren't an anti-people government," he added.

Blaming the government for the surging heat across the country, the BNP leader said, "They couldn't protect the rivers, which have been occupied by land grabbers. Trees are being cut illegally but the government's not doing anything."

He continued that despite being a riverine country, the waterbodies of the country are getting filled up.

"The whole country is experiencing simmering heat. A temperature of 41 degrees Celsius feels like a temperature of 43 or 44 degrees. Such heat has never been seen in the history of Bangladesh.

"It feels like we are living in the Sahara desert. In a country where there are so many trees and so many rivers, it is not supposed to be so hot. This situation has arisen because of the policy of filling rivers and the looting policy of the government," Rizvi said.