The main opposition BNP on Wednesday claimed the government passed the Grameen Bank bill in order to “destroy” the noble prize-winning organisation.
“The government wants to destroy the Grameen Bank by changing its character, and bring it under the supervision of the central bank. That is why the bill was passed in the parliament,” BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told journalists at the party’s Nayapaltan headquarters in the capital.
The spokesperson of the party said the government should not try to micromanage the bank: “We want to ask the government to come away from controlling the Grameen Bank and let it run on its own course.”
“The Grameen Bank has brought international prestige for the country and its people, so to protect its prestige do not interfere in the bank’s operations,” added Fakhrul.
Earlier, BNP delegations met Grameen Bank founder Muhammad Yunus and expressed their solidarity with him on the issue. They said him and his organisation should not be harassed.
At several meetings, party Chief Khaleda Zia also condemned the government’s move to pass the Grameen Bank bill, saying the government “does not know how to honour respectable persons like Muhammad Yunus.”