Govt imposes ineffective ‘shutdown’ in the name of lockdown: BNP

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the government has failed to counter the Covid-19 and imposed an ineffective "shutdown" on the nation in the name of lockdown again.

As a result, millions of working people in the informal sectors, who live from hand to mouth, have been going through a terrible time, said Fakhrul at a press conference on Tuesday.

He further said that the government had again taken reckless steps without providing food security to the poor. Everyone knows how people's relief and money were looted in the past.

Fakhrul mentioned that the common man could not keep up with the rising prices of commodities. On the other hand, people are so hard-hit by the skyrocketing prices of electricity, house rents, necessities that the low-income classes are striving for survival.

Stating that the government is not able to control the market prices, Fakhrul alleged that all the market syndicates are run by people backed by the Awami League and the government who conspire to increase prices.

In the past, people used to expect to get low-cost items on Trading Corporation of Bangladesh's (TCB) trucks but now the TCB too has increased the prices of daily commodities, he said.

On the other hand, many of those who used to buy necessities from the shops despite the hardships, are now seen approaching the TCB.

The BNP secretary general also said that thousands of middle and lower-class people have become unemployed. Either they are not getting a salary or their salary has been halved. Unable to survive the war of life, many are leaving the city and moving to the villages.

He said that in the current Covid-19 situation, the failure of the government in the run-up to the upcoming Ramadan and the so-called lockdown has led to a rise in the prices of essential commodities in the market. Ordinary people cannot keep up with rising commodity prices. 

After a price hike by 20%, the price is lowered by 5% a week before Ramadan, just for the sake of claiming that the price has been decreased. 

Such subterfuge involves horrific deception with consumers, he said further.