RMG bosses at Ganabhaban

A delegation of the readymade garment businesspeople are at the Ganabhaban to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for an end to the latest spell of unrest in Bangladesh surrounding Jan 5 general elections.

The export-focused businesses have mostly been affected by Opposition shutdowns and blockades.

They are expected to meet Opposition Leader Khaleda Zia later on Monday night.

Led by BGMEA President Atiqul Islam, the delegation will submit memorandums to both Hasina and Khaleda.

The BGMEA, BKMEA, and BTMA representatives held a meeting on Monday afternoon amid the Opposition's ongoing 131-hour blockade porgramme.

Former BGMEA President Abdus Salam Murshedi said: "We are incurring losses in billions of taka every day due to the recent political unrest.

"We are not getting any security," he said.

"We have decided to meet the two leaders to get us out of the situation," Murshedi said, speaking to bdnews24.com.

Murshedi said they would submit memorandums entailing their demands.

"Even if they (Hasina and Khaleda) do not agree to see us, we'll hand over our memorandums to their representatives," he said.

Apex business body FBCCI recently expressed serious concerns over the current political unrest.

So far, at least 28 people have died in blockade-related violence. Bangladesh's economy is bearing the brunt of ongoing turmoil with prices of commodities and perishables shooting up.

In November, the FBCCI met Hasina and Khaleda to press for a dialogue to end the deadlock but in vain.