Governing Awami League and its political alliance, 14-party grand alliance, have exposed their friction over the government’s recent move to hike gas prices in all sectors.
The 14-party alliance has urged the government to reconsider, and retract the decision of gas price hike; saying the recent move to increase gas prices will put added pressure on the common mass.
However, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader maintained that the gas price hike decision was fair.
The Awami League presidium member, and 14-party alliance spokesperson Mohammad Nasim on Tuesday urged to retract the decision. He reiterated that Awami League is a ‘pro-people government’, and the decision to hike gas price after budget should undergo further appraisal.
“Evil forces can create issues using the gas price hike decision,” said Nasim after a meeting of the 14-party alliance at the Awami League’s central office in Gulistan, this morning.
Mohammad Nasim, former health and family welfare minister, alleged that BNP has no rights to pass judgment on the Awami League government as the BNP-Jamaat political alliance had tried to sell gas reserves to foreign countries during their terms in office.
Nasim said, Awami League led 14-party alliance have been working hard to fulfill people’s demand under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
In the meantime, Obaidul Quader reckons that the government’s decision to hike gas price is entirely appropriate, and it has defendable reasons behind the decision.
“People of Bangladesh will accept the decision rather spontaneously, and will not support any political parties’ call for strikes,” said Quader, while visiting ailing veteran actor, and director ATM Shamsuzzaman, at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, former minister Rashed Khan Menon, also the president of Bangladesh Workers Party, was highly critical of the government’s decision.
He said: “Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) violated the laws of the land by taking the decision.”
Menon also added that they will discuss the matter in parliament, and expects to convince the government that the decision to hike gas prices was unreasonable.
Former Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu also urged the government to reconsider its decision.
Awami League-led grand alliance, also known as 14 Party Alliance, was in a coalition government in Bangladesh, formed in 2008. The alliance consisted of Bangladesh Awami League, Jatiya Party, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal- JASAD, Workers Party, Liberal Democratic Party, and nine other parties.
