Fuel price pike as ‘anti-people’
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has condemned the government’s latest fuel price increase, calling it “anti-people” and demanding its immediate withdrawal, as the party steps up its economic critique ahead of the national budget.
In a statement issued on Monday, Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar said the fresh hike came just weeks after fuel prices had already been raised by 8 to 12 percent – with some categories seeing even steeper increases – compounding the financial strain on ordinary households.
Porwar warned that the earlier round of price increases had already triggered a rise in the cost of daily essentials, including rice, lentils and edible oil, pushing them beyond the reach of many consumers.
He argued that the latest adjustment would only worsen an already difficult situation.
“Incomes have remained stagnant while the cost of living keeps climbing,” he said, adding that rising unemployment and broader economic deterioration were making matters worse.
The new fuel price hike, he cautioned, would place an additional burden on citizens already struggling to cover basic expenses.
The Jamaat leader also levelled a pointed allegation against the government, claiming that authorities had previously assured the public that fuel prices would not be raised this month. That assurance, he said, had now been broken.
Porwar argued that any fuel price increase on the eve of the national budget session would run directly counter to public interest, and risked further inflaming economic pressures at an already sensitive time.
Beyond the immediate issue of fuel pricing, Porwar painted a wider picture of a society under strain.
He cited the combined effect of rising fuel costs, surging commodity prices and a deteriorating law and order situation as creating mounting challenges for both the economy and ordinary citizens.
Reaffirming Jamaat’s stance, he said the party would continue to oppose any policy it regarded as harmful to the public interest, and called on citizens to remain informed and vocal about their rights.
He also urged the relevant authorities to immediately reconsider and reverse the latest price increase.
