Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) President and former Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu on Monday urged the government to take tougher action against the syndicated group that looted Taka 932 crore from the eggs market.
"Why administration is not taking necessary action against the perpetrators of market syndicate ....while some reputed poultry traders like Paragon, Kazi Farms, CP Bangladesh have looted that huge amount in fifty two days", said the lawmaker of Khustia-2.
Taking part in the general discussion on the national budget for the 2023-24 fiscal at the Jatiya Sangsad here, the JSD lawmaker also urged the government to arrest the perpetrators behind the market manipulators and destroy them as the syndicate has already appeared as a 'strong evil force'.
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal on June 1 unveiled a Taka 7,61,785 crore national budget for the 2023-24 fiscal setting the GDP growth target at 7.5 per cent amid an economic meltdown across the country due to the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war.
"We already have destroyed the network of the militants then why we would not wipe out these stalwarts?" he told the parliament with panel chairman ASM Feroz in the chair.
The left-leaning party leader also urged the government to take action immediately against ineligible officials in the administration and take appropriate action against those who remain behind the market syndicate.
The government should impose intensive market supervision and exempt regulatory duty on imported goods temporarily for the welfare of the country, the lawmaker suggested during his speech.
Criticizing the payment of Taka 90,000 crore as a capacity charge in ten years for producing electricity under quick rental system, the JSD leader said why the money has been paid to the companies without producing electricity. The government should adopt a policy like no electricity, no payment immediately, he added.
Urging the government to undertake long term initiatives in coal and energy import, Inu said the government should allocate more money for solar electricity and raise the annual gas excavation up to 25 wells instead of only five.
The JSD leader also criticized the role of the United States of America (USA). The lawmaker suggested the government ignore the US visa policy and holding the national polls in due time.
The US government, however, has adopted the policy in principle to dominate India.
Sharply criticizing the role of BNP-Jammat, the lawmaker said the BNP-Jammat must have to agree with the settled matters; otherwise these evil forces would have to be eliminated from the arena of politics.
The lawmaker also urged the government to allocate at least one per cent of the total budget for the cultural development.
Treasury bench members, Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder, State Minister for Housing and Public Works Sharif Ahmed, State Minister for Children and Women Affairs Fazilatunnesa Indira, State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud, AFM Ruhul Haque MP, Sri Biren Sikder MP, Hafez Ruhul Amin Madani MP, Shah e Alam, Shahidul Islam Bakul MP, Shamsul Hoque Chowdhury MP, Iqbal Hossain Apu MP, Shimin Hossain Rimi MP, Khandoker Mamata Hena Lovely MP, Habiba Rahman Khan MP, Khodeza Nasreen Akhter Hossain MP, Kaniz Fatema Ahmed MP, Nadira Yasmin Jolly MP, Umme Fatema Nazma Begum MP, Zakia Tabassum Zui MP, Bikalpa Dhara lawmaker Abdul Mannan, Bangladesh Workers Party lawmaker Mustafa Lutfullah, took part in the discussion.
Earlier, they paid their cordial tribute to the memory of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, four national leaders, martyred freedom fighters, and also those who made their utmost sacrifices during the War of Liberation and all subsequent democratic movements in the country.
