Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar yesterday demanded immediate withdrawal of the recent electricity tariff hike, warning that the government would otherwise have to face public backlash.

He made the remarks as the chief guest at a protest rally held at the north gate of the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in Dhaka. The rally was organised in protest against repeated increases in fuel and electricity prices. A procession was brought out after the rally.

Porwar said the BNP-led government had disappointed people by failing to fulfil various promises made before assuming office. He alleged that the government had failed to curb the deterioration of law and order, corruption, and extortion.

Criticising the latest increase in electricity tariffs, he said the government had assured the public only a few months ago that power prices would not be raised. But it later backtracked on that commitment and increased electricity prices at the consumer level.

He alleged that instead of reducing corruption, system losses, and the burden of capacity payments in the power sector, the government had shifted the costs onto consumers.

He said higher electricity prices would raise production costs across sectors, ultimately putting additional pressure on consumers.

Porwar also alleged that the tariff hike was aimed at meeting conditions set by the International Monetary Fund. He said the government should have focused on addressing irregularities and wastage in the power sector instead of raising prices.

Referring to Islami Bank, Porwar alleged that the country’s largest Islamic bank had previously been subjected to looting by a business group and that the government was now attempting to interfere in the institution again.

He also claimed that the government had failed to take effective steps to address problems in the banking sector while prioritising actions that increased public suffering.