Minister Amir Khosru warns of action against anyone disrupting stability

Addressing the recent tensions between Chhatra Dal and Chhatra Shibir, the BNP leader says “unruly individuals” will be dealt with under the law

Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury has warned that no one seeking to undermine stability in Bangladesh will be spared.

He made the remarks on Friday morning while speaking to reporters after inaugurating Swaraswati Gyan Mandir at the University of Chittagong.

Asked about the recent face-off between Jatiotabadi Chhatra Dal and Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student wings of the ruling BNP and opposition Jamaat-e-Islami, respectively, Amir Khosru said such incidents involved “unruly individuals”, not party politics.

“The law of Bangladesh will deal with them. You can rest assured. No one has any chance to go beyond the law,” he said.

“We are making it clear that there is no room for politicisation anywhere. I said in my speech at the university that outsiders must not be allowed in. Students will study at the university. There is no scope for politicisation here.”

The Chattogram-11 lawmaker said the government had come to power with a pledge to build a “stable, sensitive and tolerant” country.

“If there is no stability in Bangladesh, there is no opportunity to move forward,” he said.

“Whoever tries to damage stability, whatever force they may be, will not be spared in the eyes of the law.”

Responding to a question on the energy situation, Khosru said there was no scope to deny the existence of a crisis, though he argued it was driven by external factors rather than domestic ones.

“There is a crisis. Not inside the country, but outside it. This is not only the case for Bangladesh, but for the whole world,” he said.

He said Bangladesh had delayed raising fuel prices longer than many other countries out of concern for public hardship, farmers and incomes.

“Neighbouring countries have increased prices several times over. We delayed the increase for a long time, and even then it was very slight,” he said.

Referring to the latest rise in domestic fuel prices, he said the increase in Bangladesh had been between 10 and 15 percent.

“Fuel has to be imported at a very high price, and the government’s capacity also has its limits,” he said.

“The government runs on taxpayers’ money, so we have to be careful. At the same time, we are trying to ensure that lights do not go out and factories do not shut down.”

He said a committee including the opposition had been formed to deal with the issue and stressed that the government was handling the matter transparently.

“There is nothing hidden here. The country belongs to everyone,” he said.

On the banking sector, Amir Khosru alleged that $230 billion had been taken out of the country and said banks had been “looted and destroyed”.

“The responsibility of recovering this has now fallen on the BNP,” he said.

“People cannot withdraw their money from banks. Those who kept deposits are not getting them. There can be nothing sadder than this. Time will have to be given to bring it back.”