Rizvi doubts conspiracy behind Adani shutdown

 
BNP Acting Secretary General and Prime Minister’s Political Adviser Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Saturday questioned whether sabotage or a conspiracy was behind repeated disruptions in electricity supplies from the Adani power plant in India.

“One of its units has broken down. The supply of electricity coming from there has been disrupted. There are crises from so many directions,” he said.

Regarding the gas, fuel and electricity crisis, Rizvi said the government, which has been in office for only six months, should not be held responsible for the situation.

"Due to the war in the Middle East, the impact of the global situation has fallen on the country's fuel system. Tarique Rahman's government is not responsible for this. This is a global crisis," he said.

Rizvi made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at a discussion titled "The Country's Ongoing Crisis and What Patriotic Forces Should Do" at the Abdus Salam Auditorium of the National Press Club. The 12-party alliance organised the discussion.

Speaking about the role of opposition parties, Rizvi said they would continue to raise issues in Parliament and outside it through various programmes.

"But if there is excessive uproar over something imaginary or pointless, something that has no relation to reality, the common people do not take it well," he said.

"There will be dissent, there will be criticism against oneself. But that criticism must certainly be constructive. It should not be propaganda or character assassination," he added.

Highlighting the government's social protection initiatives, Rizvi said marginalised, helpless, poor and destitute people were receiving benefits through various cards under social safety-net programmes.

He said the old-age allowance had been increased from Tk 600 to Tk 700, while the number of beneficiaries had risen from 61 lakh to 62 lakh.

"All of these are the fulfilment of one social protection commitment after another, and the government is doing those things one by one," he said.

Referring to the food self-sufficiency programme of BNP founder Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman, Rizvi said Bangladesh had faced a severe food crisis after independence in 1972.

He said Ziaur Rahman subsequently introduced people-oriented programmes that helped Bangladesh achieve food self-sufficiency and move towards exporting food.

Rizvi also questioned whether conspiracies were being hatched to obstruct the government's public welfare programmes.

He alleged that the Awami League had demonstrated "bloodthirsty behaviour" through its past activities, accusing the party of killing students, rickshaw pullers, workers and other common people.

Rizvi demanded justice for those killed.

Jatiya Party (Kazi Zafar) Chairman and 12-party alliance chief Mustafa Jamal Haider chaired the discussion. Top leaders of the alliance and other national leaders also spoke at the meeting.