Govt grabs Prof Yunus’s firms: BNP

Staff Reporter :
The main opposition party Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Saturday said that by grabbing firms of Nobel laureate Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the government has established a precedent in the country.

“The government has been involved in harassing Nobel laureate Dr. Yunus for a long time. Instead of stopping the harassment, the government has occupied his firms.

It has set a precedent by it,” BNP Standing Committee Member Selima Rahman said at a protest rally in front of the National Press Club in the capital.

The protest rally was organised by the Bangladesh Nagarik Odhikar Andolan demanding release of all political prisoners, including BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia.

She said, “Today the people are seeing the government’s grabbing. How a Nobel laureate is being harassed. The firms of Dr. Yunus are being taken over.”

“Grabbing is a habit of the Awami League men. The AL people were committing rape at educational institutions.

It is their nature,” she said. The BNP leader urged the people not to be refrained from protesting the government’s anti-people and undemocratic behaviours.

“You have seen the incident at Jahangirnagar University. Every day in the newspaper you see how women are being oppressed and abused,” she said.

“There is no remedy for any irregularity of the government and its people. The judiciary was completely trampled by the ruling Awami League,” Selima said.

She also pointed out about the commodity price hiking, saying that the prices of essentials kept skyrocketing.

“The common people become undone. How could they feed their families? The government is saying every day that the price of commodities will decrease.

I say they will not cut it. Their syndicate will not reduce the prices,” the BNP leader said.

BNP Vice-Chairman Abdul Awal Mintoo said, “About 300 global personalities made a statement for Muhammad Yunus. If he is in this situation, then where are we in Bangladesh?”

“As long as this government is there, I can guarantee that the people of this country will be in danger because of the level they have taken the economy of Bangladesh. Inflation will never come down through corrupt people and plunderers,” he said.

BNP leaders Abu Naser Muhammad Rahmatullah and Nipun Roy Chowdhury, among others, gave speeches in the event.