Power tariff hike move taken to pocket money, alleges BNP

March 12, 2014 00:00:00

BNP standing committee member Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain speaking at a discussion at the National Press Club, marking the 8th anniversary of the imprisonment of BNP senior vice chairmen Tarique Rahman Tuesday. — Focus Bangla Photo

BNP leader Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain Tuesday alleged that the government wanted to hike power tariff to let the pro-government businessmen plunder public money, reports UNB.

"Awami League (AL) had opted for quick rental power plants to get quick commission. Now they're trying to hike the power tariff to steal public money," he said.

The BNP standing committee member was addressing a discussion arranged by Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal at the National Press Club, marking the 8th anniversary of the imprisonment of BNP senior vice chairmen Tarique Rahman.

He said this government came to power without people's mandate and it has no moral right to raise power price.

The country's economy is already hit hard due to the government's alleged misrule, wrong policies and corruption, the BNP senior leader said, adding that, the economy will suffer a further blow if the power rates are hiked.

Mentioning that people are already burdened by exorbitant power bill, Mosharraf called upon the government to shelve the decision to raise the power price.

He said that the government is frustrated with the results of the last two phases of the upazila polls. So, the ruling party is becoming more violent and desperate to snatch peoples' voting right and manipulate the election results of the remaining phases in favour of their party-backed candidates.

Opposing the Awami League general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam's opinion that the local body polls should be party-based, Mosharraf said Asharf is giving new formula of holding partisan upazila polls after destroying the main spirit of the local body polls through massive vote fraud and naked interference.

The BNP leader claimed that their party senior vice chairman Tarique had been arrested by the then army-baked caretaker government in 2007 as part of a deep-rooted plot to destroy BNP and malign the party.

He urged the BNP leaders and activists to get united for waging a strong movement to oust the current regime and ensure safe homecoming of Tarique.