Opposition MPs demand resignation of Commerce Minister

Staff Reporter :
Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi has come under fire from opposition lawmakers in the Jatiya Sangsad on Monday over his utter failure to contain commodity prices and market syndicates and demanded his resignation.
Criticizing him bitterly, some lawmakers also raised the question that for being a businessman himselfthe Commerce Minister is not taking actions against the syndicate.
The opposition lawmakers also demanded resignation of the Commerce Minister in the Parliament, terming the ministry the most failed ones.
In response to the opposition’s criticism, Tipu Munshi offered to resign if the Prime Minister gives the responsibility of running the ministry to one of the opposition lawmakers.
“Everyone calls me a businessman, but I have been in politics for 56 years and doing business for 40 years,” Tipu Munshi said.
Regarding the trader’s syndicate, Commerce Minister said, “It is true that only big groups do more business together. One thing needs to be realized that the responsible traders could be jailed or fined, but the crisis that is created suddenly is very hard to overcome. So, we try to negotiate something within the rules.”
Gonoforum lawmaker Mokabbir Khan, Jatiya Party lawmakers Rustam Ali Faraji, Shamim Haider Patwari, Pir Fazlur Rahman and Rowshan Ara Mannan came down heavily on Commerce Minister in Parliament over the market syndicates and price hike of essentials.

Gonoforum lawmaker Mokabbir Khan fired the first shot against Tipu Munshi during the discussion on proposed cut motion on the Ministry of Commerce in the budget for FY2023-24.
They also raised the question whether the ‘business’ minister, Tipu Munshi, was involved with the market syndicate or not.
Mokabbir Khan said that the most unsuccessful ministry of the current government was the Ministry of Commerce, he said and added, “When you go to the market, you hear from people that the Ministry of Commerce is so unsuccessful that people call it a syndicate friendly ministry.”
Alleging the involvement of a syndicate of traders in increasing the price of goods, he said that many people said that the commerce minister was involved with it.
“Why don’t you resign after all this?” Mokabbir asked the Commerce Minister.
When the commerce minister says that the price of a product will decrease, the price of that product increases the next day, he added.
Rustam Ali Faraji of Jatiya Party said, “Such a big ministry like commerce-if the minister does not have dynamism, then the price will increase. If only one person works and everyone sleeps, then the country will not run. Market syndicates should be broken up. It is certainly possible if desired.”
Shamim Haider Patwari said that even though the commodity prices have decreased in global markets in the last few months, but it is not affecting in Bangladesh.
 “There is no doubt as there are syndicates. Are syndicates more powerful than the government? I don’t think they can be stronger than the government. If there is a syndicate within the government, it must be identified,” he said.
Rowshan Ara Mannan said, “The Commerce Ministry is not monitoring the market properly. The commerce minister is a freedom fighter. Why can’t he control the market?”
Pir Fazlur Rahman said that the State Minister for Industries said that people cry when they go to market and the only reason is the syndicate.
The Russia-Ukraine war alone should not be blamed for the price hike of daily commodities, he said adding that the syndicate has looted thousands of Taka from egg market. Chicken eggs do not come from Ukraine, he added.
Pir Fazlur Rahman said, “Our commerce minister cannot arrest the syndicate people who raise prices as he himself is a businessman. He knows the businessmen who are behind the scene. These businessmen are closed to him and because of this he is not interested to grill them?”
Some Tk 1500 crore has been looted form the onion market, he said.
Responding to lawmaker’s criticism, Tipu Munshi said prices of a lot of things have been raised like fuel, but I don’t see fuel. “I don’t know the news about eggs, the issue of increasing or decreasing the price of eggs is decided by the ministry concerned. No doubt the price has gone up. Onion has been mentioned here too. We have decided through discussion that the farmers would get a little price. We have a shortfall of 6-7 lakh tonnes in onion,” he said.
The Commerce Minister also said, “If farmers get a little better price, then they will focus on production. It is true that it is not logical that the price of onion  would be at Tk 80 Taka or Tk 90 per kg. We tried and arranged to import as we didn’t want to import the onion. We wanted to use the local production so that farmers get a fair price. But still the Prime Minister said the prices have gone up and we have taken measures to import. The prices onion have started to come down.”
In spite of the present crisis, Bangladesh exported goods worth $58 billion, which is 7-8 percent more than the last year, the Commerce Minister said.
Tipu Munshi hoped that the price of onion will come to Tk 45-50 within in 10-15 days.