Govt conspiring to undermine Bangladesh, says BNP's Fakhrul

BNP leader Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has accused the government of conspiring to undermine the country referring to the current situation in the leather industry as evidence.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 16 August 2019, 11:46 AM
Updated : 16 August 2019, 11:47 AM

Traders of rawhide and animal skins have experienced difficulties selling their stocks to wholesalers and tanners this Eid due to the low prices on offer.

According to the merchants, tanners did not clear their dues from past years which forced them to offer low prices for the hides or stop buying it entirely.

Allegations of price manipulation by a syndicate have been running rife as the government decided to lift the bar on rawhide export for the first time this year to ensure ‘reasonable prices’ for traders.

While wholesalers and merchants welcomed the decision, tanners opposed the move, citing the detrimental effects it could have on the leather industry.

Speaking at a prayer service organised on Friday to mark the birthday of party chief Khaleda Zia, Mirza Fakhrul said, “This is the time to collect the hides of animals sacrificed during Eid through which the leather industry can earn a lot of foreign currency.”

“But this government has destroyed the industry in a planned way. First it was the jute industry which was destroyed and now they’re running roughshod over the leather industry.”

Describing the government’s move as a ‘far-reaching conspiracy’, the BNP secretary general said. “Not only is the government making the people suffer, it is also making Bangladesh dependent on others.”