Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar today alleged that the government is busy creating new narratives to suppress political parties while paying little attention to soaring commodity prices and the country's gas and electricity crises.
“It [government] has no headache over the prices of essentials, gas and electricity," he said at an emergency press conference at the party's central office in Dhaka’s Moghbazar, organised to discuss the country's ongoing gas and power situation.
Porwar added, “The more opposition parties and Jamaat-e-Islami are criticised on television talk shows, the greater the chances of promotion for those doing it. But the government has no attention to public suffering.”
Claiming that public frustration has mounted within five months of the new administration taking office, he said people are increasingly disillusioned by rising living costs, extortion, corruption and deteriorating law and order.
Referring to the July uprising, he said those who benefitted politically from the movement had failed to fulfil people’s expectations.
Highlighting the country's gas crisis, the Jamaat leader said Bangladesh's daily gas demand stands at around 380 crore cubic feet, while the current supply is only about 215 crore cubic feet, leaving a deficit of nearly 165 crore cubic feet a day.
"As a result, people in many parts of the country are unable to cook, industrial production is being disrupted, and power plants are failing to operate at full capacity," he said.
Porwar attributed the crisis to technical faults at the LNG terminal in Moheshkhali, excessive dependence on imported gas and a lack of investment in domestic gas fields.
He urged the government to increase production at major gas fields, including Titas, Bibiyana, Habiganj, and Rashidpur.
Criticising recent electricity price hikes, Porwar said retail electricity tariffs increased by an average of 16.68 percent in June this year, putting additional pressure on middle- and lower-income consumers.
He also alleged widespread irregularities in billing, claiming that many consumers were receiving "ghost bills" that were two to three times higher than their actual consumption.
"The government promised to solve the problem, but those responsible have failed to take effective action," he said.
Porwar also expressed concern over the rising prices of essential commodities, including rice, lentils, sugar, potatoes, onions, garlic and green chillies.
He accused the government of focussing on debates surrounding the constitution and the July Charter while neglecting people's day-to-day struggles.
