The government is indulging in Padma Bridge celebrations while keeping millions of flood victims in the northeastern regions of Bangladesh hungry, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said
“People are starving and not getting medical treatments in flood-hit areas, but the government is occupied with the Padma Bridge inauguration program,” he said.
His remarks came while distributing relief materials on the premises of Khazar Mokam High School in Sylhet’s Jaintiapur upazila on Thursday.
Fakhrul claimed that the government allocated only Tk60 lakh for 3 million flood victims in Sylhet, while hundreds of crores of taka are being spent on the inauguration program of Padma Bridge.
He said: “The government is arranging several programs for the inauguration on Saturday while people are dying amid the lack of food and relief materials in the flood-hit areas.”
Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka TribuneThe BNP leader mentioned that millions of people in Sylhet and Sunamganj are crying for relief materials, as their houses, farm animals, croplands, and businesses have been washed out by floods, before adding: “Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina did nothing for them. She just handed out Tk60 lakh to 3 million victims,” he said.Fakhrul recalled that BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia during her government in 2004 walked door-to-door and ensured relief materials at people’s doorsteps. “But the current prime minister visited the flood-hit area by helicopter."
“Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina held a meeting at the Circuit House with senior officials and ministers handed out relief materials to seven people to only show off to the country,” he said.
Fakhrul further alleged that the ruling party MPs are also not going to help the flood victims as they are not elected with people’s votes. “In fact, Awami League has no relation with the people of the country, and would not help them in any way.”
Flood still continues in northeastern, northern Bangladesh Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka TribuneThe secretary general said around Tk9 crore has been spent on making 90 washrooms in Mawa for the inauguration program. “If the money was given to the flood victims of Sylhet then people wouldn’t have suffered so much.”He said their party will not join any other election if it is not held under a neutral government. “Just like a fox can’t be given the charge of taking care of a chicken, Sheikh Hasina can’t be given the responsibility for holding an election.”
Fakhrul together with BNP Standing Committee Member Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku reached Sylhet at noon to observe the flood situation and distribute relief materials among the affected people.
They distributed around 2,000 relief material packets to the victims.
The BNP leaders also offered special prayers at Hazrat Shahjalal Mazar Sharif before visiting the flood-hit areas.