BNP supports general strike called by leftist parties’ to protest against gas price hike

The BNP has thrown its weight behind the half-day nationwide general strike called by some leftist political parties in protest against the latest hike in gas prices.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 5 July 2019, 01:47 PM
Updated : 5 July 2019, 01:47 PM

“We morally support the leftist parties’ general strike for July 7,” Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said after a meeting of the  policymaking body, the National Standing Committee, at the chairperson’s Gulshan offices in Dhaka on Friday.

“We believe this general strike is reasonable because all the people have been affected by the gas price hike,” he added.

The Left Democratic Alliance on July 1 called the general strike to be enforced from 6am to 2pm on Sunday after the government raised the prices of gas by an average rate of 32.8 percent across the board despite objections by different quarters.

The parties in the alliance include the Communist Party of Bangladesh or CPB, Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal or BaSaD and the Ganasanghati Andolan.

The BNP’s allies the Gono Forum of Dr Kamal Hossain, the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-JSD of ASM Abdur Rab, and the Nagorik Oikya of Mahmudur Rahman Manna have already thrown their support behind the general strike.

Some allies of the ruling Awami League have also criticised the government for not heeding to their objections to the gas price hike, which the authorities say is necessary to ease the burden of subsidy for importing liquefied natural gas or LNG.

Consumer rights activists allege that the government has made arrangements to increase consumers’ spending instead of taking steps to stop corruption in the sector.

Besides a rise in cooking cost and transport fare, the people will have to pay more to buy products as gas prices for production of power and fertiliser, and industries and commercial lines have been increased between 35 percent and 65 percent.