Foreign minister Hasan Mahmud. –File photo
Foreign minister Hasan Mahmud on Saturday said that the main aim of BNP was to destabilise the country’s essential commodity market and increase the prices of goods by calling to boycott Indian products.
Hasan, also joint secretary of the Awami League, told journalists that many consumer products in Bangladesh came from India and this type of call would increase the sufferings of the people and hiked the prices of goods.
‘We have thousands of kilometres of border with India and some border trade is also done legally. You will eat onion from India, your leader will wear sari from India, your leader who shouts in the field will also wear Indian saris, you will eat sehri, iftar with beef from India. A few days ago, the leader went to India for treatment… and you call for boycotting Indian products – this is nothing but a great hypocrisy,’ he said.
The minister talked to journalists after joining a co-ordination meeting on the implementation of the government’s development activities in Chattogram district at the circuit house.
When asked what kind of role the government was playing in rescuing the hijacked ship and sailors from Somali pirates, Hasan said that the government was trying to rescue the sailors and ship in an unharmed condition.
‘Last time when MV Jahan Moni was hijacked, it took 100 days to free them. Now we are trying to free them as soon as possible,’ he added.
He hoped that the government would be able to rescue the sailors and the ship soon.
Asked about the Chattogram development co-ordination meeting, Hasan said that there was a detail discussion on the drainage project and they had given importance to the coordination of the drainage project.
‘We also discussed the importance of regular maintenance of this project as two and a half years are left for the completion of the project,’ he said.
According to the Chattogram port authority, the prime minister had already handed over 500 acres of land to them free of cost for the Bay-Terminal, he added.
‘They will get more 300 acres of land, for which the port authority has applied. Chattogram port has already signed MoU with DP World and Singapore port authority,’ Hasan continued.
He also said that the work would be done in three parts – one would be done by Chattogram port authority, another by Singapore port authority, the rest by DP World. Other international financial institutions, including the World Bank, were also joining there. This was a big step forward.
The minister said that if there was a bay terminal, it would be a new port bigger than the Chattogram port.
Divisional commissioner Tofael Islam presided over the function while state minister for finance Wasika Ayesha Khan, state minister for labour and employment Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, Lawmakers Motaherul Islam Chowdhury, Mohiuddin Bachchu, MA Salam, MA Motaleb, CMP commissioner Krishnapad Roy, DIG Nur-E-Alam Mina, representatives from Chattogram development authority, Chattogram city corporation and other top officials of various government departments, among others, were present on the occasion. Deputy commissioner Abul Bashar Md Fakruzzaman conducted the meeting.