BNP makes duplicity centering commodities price: Hasan

Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud said Tuesday that BNP is making duplicity centering the commodities price. "BNP is encouraging dishonest traders secretly to increase the price of commodities. On the other hand, they are observing different programmes in the field to show the people, which are duplicity of the party," he said.

The minister told reporters after unwrapping the covers of five books on Bangabandhu, literature, politics and mass media at Ekushey Book Fair in the city.

Replying to a query over a comment of BNP leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Hasan said the FBI had uncovered the incident of money laundering of Begum Khaleda Zia's sons Tarique Rahman and Koko. The money was brought back to the country and the FBI came to Bangladesh and gave deposition on money laundering of Tarique, he added.

He said people laugh when the leader of the party (BNP) outcry about money laundering as the leaders of that party were involved in siphoning off the money. "The country became champions in corruption for five consecutive times during their regime. The statement of Rizvi is ridiculous," said Hasan, also Awami League joint general secretary.

The minister urged the BNP leaders to see their own faces in the mirror.

He said the world community, the World Bank, the secretary general of the United Nations and even the president of the USA are praising the ongoing progress of Bangladesh. For this, they (BNP) are giving such statements to create confusion among the people, he added.

Some media outlets, he said, are broadly circulating the news of not getting essentials by a few people. But when most of the people are receiving daily commodities then it is not being published, which is regrettable, he added.

The minister said the prices of commodities have increased about 60 percent across the world due to the war between Russia and Ukraine. The government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has taken proper steps over the price hike issue and the prices are much lower than neighbouring countries including India and Pakistan, Hasan added.

Earlier, the minister unwrapped the covers of books 'Pronoyer Rajniti, written by Rashek Rahman, 'Ganamaddhyome Hatekhari' by agriculturist Saleh Mohammad Rashid Alak, 'Shoto Borshe Shoto Kabita' by Afroza Nice Rima, Bangabandhu-e Bangladesh' edited by Sowmithra Deb and 'Opekkha' by Sajeda Parvin Saju.

Jatiya Sangsad Whip Abu Saeed Al Mahmud Swapan, MP, Swechchhasebak League president Nirmal Ranjan Guha, general secretary Afzalur Rahman Babu, Awami League All European unit president M Nazrul Islam, Bangla Academy deputy director Dr Shahdat Hossain Nipu, and publishers of the books, among others, were present.