Opposition leader in parliament and Jatiya Party (JaPa) Chairman GM Quader has said that the country's economy is in dire straits.
Speaking to reporters in Rangpur on Sunday, the seasoned politician warned that the crisis might worsen in the future, and therefore access for journalists to Bangladesh Bank has been restricted.
GM Quader condemned the central bank’s reported denial of entry to journalists. He said: “The Awami League was like a tree under which people used to rest, but now it has become a weed. The party is now isolated from the people.”
Claiming that the country's reserves are now down to $10 billion, he said: “The cost of imports has been reduced, now coming down from $7-8 billion to $4-5 billion.”
He added: “It does not matter what the government says; the actual reserve is now at an all-time low of $10 billion. These are bad signs for us. There is no money in the country, and the reserve is decreasing every day.”
He said that there is no investment in the country, and the money that comes through remittance is being sent abroad. As a result, the local currency is being devalued, and the value of money is decreasing.
Quader asserted that the public has a right to know why the reserves are decreasing day by day, accusing the government of concealing this information.
He expressed uncertainty about the future economic situation, saying: “Now you can't get dollars in exchange for taka. The price of the dollar is increasing every day. This situation cannot be accepted in any way.”
Regarding Awami League leaders, the opposition leader said: “They talk a lot, and I respect Obaidul Quader, the general secretary of the party, but people do not believe what he says. Awami League used to belong to the people; now they are sitting on the neck of the people.”
GM Quader accused the current government of not being accountable to the people, alleging that money is being laundered abroad without any checks.
He claimed that the government is operating as a syndicate and criticized the government for signing several anti-national agreements with foreign countries without disclosure, despite Article 145 of the constitution requiring all agreements to be tabled in parliament.
Earlier, GM Quader arrived at Syedpur Airport from Dhaka on a flight before traveling to Rangpur Circuit House.
