BNP backing syndicates to hike commodity prices: Quader 

The BNP is sponsoring and supporting the hoarders and syndicates to create an anarchic situation regarding commodity prices, Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said today (24 February).

"BNP nurtured the syndicate. It patronised the hoarders. Would it be wrong to say so? Those who are doing these activities are the old syndicates created by the BNP," he said at a press conference at the political office of the Awami League president at Dhanmondi in the capital.

Noting that the BNP-led government in the past was a business-oriented one, he said the Awami League did not come to do business here.

There is no reason to think that the government has given up on controlling commodity prices, he said, adding that the evil forces which are trying to hatch conspiracies by hiking commodity prices and dissatisfying the common people to foil the ruling government's schemes will not be spared in any way.

He said the government is providing enough subsidies on electricity.

"The government wants to reduce this subsidy gradually. That is why coordination has become necessary. If we want to maintain the electricity facility, then we have to make the adjustment," he added.

Obaidul Quader said when the BNP was in power, it increased the prices of electricity nine times in five years.

Even after that, people suffered 18 hours of load-shedding a day, he added.

Mentioning that the Awami League government has given cent percent electricity, he said during the government of Sheikh Hasina, the power generation capacity has increased to 29,700 megawatts.