Dialogue with political parties on Saturday

Chief Adviser Prof Dr Muhammad Yunus will hold dialogue with 15 political parties on Saturday.

This will be second spell of dialogue with political parties about the reform process.

The dialogue started on October 06 with the participation of some political parties, including BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami and CPB.

The Chief Adviser would exchange views with the political parties on the reform process initiated by the interim government, said Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder while briefing journalists at Foreign Service Academy on Tuesday.

Gono Forum, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Labour Party and Bangladesh Jatiya Party (Andaleeve) and 12-party alliance have been invited for Saturday's dialogue, Mr Majumder said.

Responding to a query whether Jatiya Party, a key ally of the ousted Awami League-led government, will be invited for the dialogue, he said no decision was taken yet in this regard.

"The government has planned to hold dialogue with some more parties, but their names have not yet been finalised," he added.

Responding to another question, he said that the interim government has no idea about the 'minus two formula'.

"We do not know what is the minus two formula. It has not come up during any discussion and will never come up," he added.

The deputy press secretary said the government is seriously concerned about public sufferings due to the price hike of essential commodities, and necessary steps are being taken to address the situation.

Citing examples, he said the import duty on eggs was slashed to 13 per cent from 33 per cent.

"At the same time, import duty on edible oil is reduced by 5 per cent."

Replying to a query, he said the government is determined to stop any kind of extortion so that businesses can run without any hassle.

Mr Majumder also mentioned that the government is working on to dismantle the market syndicate who are instrumental in market manipulation.

Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam moderated the briefing. Two assistant press secretaries were also present.

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