Suggest alternative before long march

BNP Acting Secretary General and Political Adviser to the Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, has called on the Opposition to stop threatening street protests over the gas and electricity crisis and instead present alternative plans in Parliament on how the shortages can be resolved.

Rizvi said the current gas and electricity crisis stems from the US-Iran
war and flawed planning by the previous government, not from any action taken by the present administration.

He made the remarks as chief guest at the induction ceremony of the newly elected executive committee of the Bangladesh Dance Artistes Association, held at the Jatiya Natyashala auditorium of Shilpakala Academy in Dhaka on Friday afternoon.

“You can hold a long march or announce programmes over gas and electricity – that is fine,” Rizvi said. “But tell us an alternative: how are we going to supply gas and electricity? Where will we get them from, and how will we get them?”

He said the Opposition should lay out a concrete plan for tackling the crisis rather than relying solely on street programmes, noting that Opposition MPs already have a platform to raise the issue in Parliament.

Criticising the government and holding programmes outside Parliament, he said, are normal features of a democracy – but he argued the Opposition should pair that criticism with constructive recommendations.

“I do not think it would be right to deliberately create a planned paralysis,” Rizvi said. “Rather, a plan must be put forward on how this crisis can be brought to an end.” He warned that a repeat of past patterns of protest would push the country further into darkness.

Rizvi pointed to global conflicts and disruptions in the energy supply chain as the underlying cause of the crisis, saying difficulties in importing fuel had arisen after transportation through the Strait of Hormuz was disrupted. He maintained the crisis was not the result of any government action.

Turning to the occasion at hand, Rizvi highlighted the role of songs and dance during the July uprising, saying cultural performances had inspired and emboldened protesters during the movement.

The induction ceremony was chaired by Bangladesh Dance Artistes Association President Farhana Baby.

Special guests included State Minister for Road Transport and Railways Habib Ur Rashid Habib, BNP Cultural Affairs Secretary Ashraf Uddin Ujjal, poet Rezauddin Stalin, actor Helal Khan and Zakir Hossain Rukon, among others.

The newly elected executive committee members were formally inducted at the event.

Rizvi separately inaugurated an inter-divisional Under-16 girls’ football competition organised by the Bangladesh Women’s Sports Association.